


Catalyst

by Mooseketeer



Category: Dead by Daylight (Video Game)
Genre: Alpha Ace Visconti, Alpha David King, Alpha Jake Park, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Don't touch plants you don't know kids, Dwight loves love a little too much, First Kiss, Fluff, In which an Omega grows a spine and freaks everyone out in the process, Inevitable handholding, M/M, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Mentions of Vomiting in the first chapter, Mentions of Witchcraft, Mentions of supernatural connections, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Omega Dwight Fairfield, Omega Verse, Possessive Behavior, Protectiveness, more tags to be added as the story progresses
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-06
Updated: 2020-12-24
Packaged: 2021-03-08 02:00:42
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 9
Words: 28,882
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26857849
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mooseketeer/pseuds/Mooseketeer
Summary: In which Dwight learns to fight his own battles, whether they are real or not. His mere presence within the Entity's realm throws familiar dynamics out the window and multiple interested parties take notice of these changes. It will be on them to ensure that Dwight doesn't lose himself in the process, or worse, give in to the Entity's games.
Relationships: Dwight Fairfield/Ace Visconti, Dwight Fairfield/David King, Dwight Fairfield/Evan MacMillan | The Trapper, Dwight Fairfield/Jake Park
Comments: 30
Kudos: 103





	1. Budding Distraught

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first fanfic ever! I sincerely hope whoever will click on this work will enjoy it as much as I enjoy writing it!

Dwight loves love. It was nothing new to him. To see people happily enjoying one another’s company, whether it was platonically or romantically, whether it was in friendship or family, love held great importance to him. Unfortunately, love wasn’t too fond of the Fairfield household, which _once_ composed of Dwight, a cat named Fizzle and five potted plants. The keyword being “ _once”_. He couldn’t say the same anymore, not when his routine wasn’t a routine any longer. It was now a single, interminable night where it was only possible to warm oneself by sitting around a crackling campfire.

A cold and lifeless night. If it were not for the companions he had made along the way, he might have dared to call it loveless, but even the Entity couldn’t pry that from their hands. It has taken many things from them; the joy of eating and drinking being one of those things, for example. They could rest by the campfire, twirl their thumbs around for what seemed like hours and never need anything for their wellbeing. They’d chat about what they missed the most about their previous lives as it was yearning that was often the center of their conversations. Some would mention their homesickness, others would talk about alcohol and good homemade dishes… most would talk about sleep.

Out of all the subjects to be thrown around the campfire, sleep was the only one that made Dwight uncomfortable as he was the sole survivor to not belong in this form of yearning. Upon his arrival around the campfire, he had been granted one of the greatest curses in this realm and it was to be capable to sleep. Through this curse was a sliver of hope, however, as his dreams often contained clues of trials or events that were to come.

Dwight never understood why he was the only one to be privy to this kind of ‘top secret information’ as Feng Min once called it and he wasn’t the only one. Most of the survivors that came after the initial group of Meg, Jake, Claudette and himself didn’t believe it. Hell, even he didn’t believe it at first. He was nobody special, far from it even. David was one of the rare survivors that went so far as to shake him in his sleep due to how deeply rooted within his mind the possibility of Dwight lying and faking his dreams was. As far as Dwight was concerned, it never happened. Not so much because he forgave him, but rather because he was never aware that it happened in the first place. It was Meg that told him everything; how fellow survivors had to protect Dwight from David’s frustrations towards his ‘privilege’ and the injustice of it all.

Of course, David had apologized many times since then when one of his dreams involved him directly and saved him from the clutches of the end game. It was nothing much, just a brief indication of where the hatch would be, but since then, David looked up to him… much like many of the survivors. It was the most attention he had ever received from anyone… ever… and the most pressure he had ever experienced. Out of all the survivors, Dwight couldn’t help but feel like he always had to perform twice as hard lest he disappointed their little pack. It was something that he was used to, in a sense. He was an Omega, after all. In his previous life, working twice as hard to get any form of recognition was part of his routine.

Well, when it did work, that is. For as long as he could remember, he was always picked on for something about himself, whether it was about his pudgy appearance, his nervousness, his glasses or how ‘innocent’ he looked. It didn’t matter if people knew that he was an Omega or not, they would poke and prod at his sensitive cords to stir a reaction out of him, call him names and make him the scapegoat of any of their frustrations. It is what it is, Dwight would tell himself, refusing to believe that every single human being that he encountered acted this way. One could suppose that it was why he held love in such high regards as he was lacking it himself.

He never had as many friends as he did within the Entity’s realm. He was terrible with small talk, fumbling over himself most of the time, but his companions were understanding and would allow him as much time as he needed to compose himself. That alone was a miracle, he thought. Sure, some of them like David, Ace and Ash would chuckle at his antics, but it was never meant in a derisive fashion. People within the Entity’s realm held more respect for those around them than he had ever witnessed outside of said realm and _they_ were the ones being tortured relentlessly merely for _existing_ within the vicinity. Certainly, some jokes were thrown here and there to relieve the tension, but nobody mocked another for their weaknesses.

“ _Dwight_ …”

He wouldn’t deny that there _was_ tension at times, wild accusations thrown about when one of the survivors thought that another behaved stupidly in a trial, but they all knew better than to take it personally. It was in their title. They were survivors. They were scared. They still are. No matter how many times they were yanked from the safety of their campfire and to their demise, this appalling sensation never left any of them. If it did, Dwight would be more than concerned for them. In fact, he wondered if it was why they silently came to the unanimity of choosing a leader amongst them. Someone to look up to. Someone to anchor and guide them. That someone just happened to be Dwight and Dwight couldn’t help but think that the main reason behind it was because of his dreams. It was so odd to him still. Wouldn’t someone like Quentin, who was consistently exhausted, be the best candidate to receive this ‘blessing’ from the Entity? Poor kid certainly seemed like he needed it more than him.

Dwight knew his way around the maps, helped people complete generators and instructed the newcomers on how to repair them. He was knowledgeable in all sorts of secret tips and rules about how things worked, but he never thought it to be enough to grab anyone’s attention, let alone grant him the qualifications to make him the leader.

“… _Dwight_ …”

He liked to help people and took the reigns here and there in his many lines of work, but it wasn’t the same here. He wasn’t a survival specialist; Jake was. He wasn’t the strongest, the wisest, the smartest, the most charismatic… he was _average_. Just **_average_**. **_Painfully so_**. Still, they looked up to him and Dwight felt like an impostor among them. They had yet to learn that he was an Omega and when that time came, what then? An Omega didn’t belong at the head of a pack, even if theirs was imposed on them. As far as he was aware of, only Claudette knew of this extremely sensitive information as she was considered the ‘healer’ of the group. Survivors treated her as a doctor, confiding their worries as well as their wounds to her. It was her role and it was one that came naturally to her, Dwight had noted as more and more survivors went to her for advice and patch ups with time.

It was nice to have someone as kind-hearted and caring as Claudette that understood the importance of each of their secrets. And then there was…

“... _Dwight!_ ”

The leader startled out of his never-ending train of thoughts when the sound of his own name rang in his ears. For the first time in what seemed like forever, he blinked and groaned, rubbing at his eyes when he realized that the burning sensation that came with this simple action was because he had been staring directly at the campfire which earned him a gentle chuckle from the person that interrupted his mulling.

_“Here, it should be around that time again, isn’t it?”_

Claudette’s murmur was enough to carry to his ears and his ears only as she held out what appeared to be a banged up, metallic mug that they had brought back with them from Léry’s awhile back. It wasn’t much, but it did its job which was to contain the freshly steeped concoction of his suppressants. Claudette was brilliant when it came to plants and, apparently, some of them that miraculously sprouted in the nearby vicinity of the campfire were a main ingredient to make suppressants. Something he found a little _too_ convenient, but if it helped him keep his secret, then he was fine with it.

_“You’ve been staring for some time now. Something on your mind?”_

Dwight offered Claudette a hesitant smile as he welcomed the mug that was handed to him and wrapped both of his hands around it, soothed by the warmth the beverage gave off through its vessel.

_“I-I just… have a lot on my mind, t-that’s all.”_

He brushed off her inquiry with a half shrug of his shoulder, pinching his lips together as he spared a glance at the content of his mug.

_“So, the usual then.”_

Claudette tried to ease the discomfort radiating from Dwight, but the leader responded with a nervous hint of laughter. She always had a way to see right through him and it seemed like he wouldn’t be able to escape her keen eye this time either. She sat beside him on the grass, leaning back against the log, remaining silent as she flicked her gaze between the mug in his hands and back to him. Encouragement to take the first sip. It was always this first dip of his lips into the dreadful concoction that took the most courage out of Dwight, but he was aware that it was for his own good. He preferred this than being assaulted by his heat with little to no warning whatsoever. The tea helped, if he could call it that, but it was far from a “cure it all”. It did its job of suppressing most of his heat, but some annoying parts of it remained. Dwight grimaced in apprehension as he brought the mug to his lips only to recoil from it the moment the liquid touched his tongue.

_“God, that’s **disgusting**.”_

He breathed out for what seemed like the nth time and Claudette offered him her sympathy by giving his upper back a gentle rub and a pinched smile of acknowledgement.

_“I know. I’m sorry.”_

Dwight shook his head at her apology, knowing fairly well that it was far from her fault. She was doing her best to soothe his pains and the Entity did its best to make everyone feel miserable. There was so much she could do.

_“Am I the only one that needs to take this stuff?”_

He whispered, his gaze wandering upon the circle of survivors that sat around their universal source of warmth only for it to pause upon landing on Ace lounging about on the opposite side of the campfire. Flames flickered in the reflection of his sunglasses and Dwight found himself shivering at the intensity of the imagery. It was difficult to tell whether the gambler was even looking at him or not. It was only when Bill patted the man on the shoulder to grab his attention that Dwight realized that he, indeed, had been staring, because it took Ace a bit too long before he tore himself away from the leader to give their eldest his patented, trademarked grin. That poker face of his certainly wasn’t to be messed with. It was almost disconcerting.

Now overly aware, brown eyes flicked from survivor to survivor, realizing rapidly that Ace hasn’t been the only one that noticed the drink that had been handed to him, but David and Jake as well. David was frowning at him from his spot next to Nea who recounted to him how proud she was to have run her previous killer successfully for the equivalent of three generators but was clearly not listening to her. Rather, he appeared to be confused about what he was witnessing, half-heartedly pulling away from Dwight when he caught on that Dwight had spotted him and laughed at Nea’s story as if he had been paying attention to her the entire time.

_“…Yes, you are.”_

Claudette’s words barely registered in the back of Dwight’s mind as his gaze diverted from David to Jake who did little if nothing to hide the fact that he had been staring at him, going so far as to lock his eyes with his the moment they met. Jake was the aloof kind, distant and silent, but also the most observant. His years in the woods sharpened his ability to spot whenever something was out of the ordinary and now, he had set his eyes on Dwight.

The mere severity held in his eyes was enough to make Dwight feel like a deer in headlights, frozen in place until Jake swerved away. Except, he didn’t. He remained where he was, leaning against a tree far from the safety of the campfire, arms crossed against his chest while he watched. The light of the flames barely reached him, and Dwight felt another shiver course along his spine despite being the closest to the campfire’s warmth.

_“You okay?”_

Dwight finally peeled his attention from the survivalist to Meg who now stood by him, concern written upon her features.

_“W-Wha…?”_

The leader started intelligently only for the athlete to motion in his hands’ general emplacement.

_“You’re shaking.”_

She stated the obvious as he felt Claudette hand instantly touch his forehead at Meg’s words. The athlete carefully plucked the mug from his grasp when it began to spill due to his sheer nerves.

_“You’re really pale.”_

Claudette added to the statement, her soft voice laced with worry. It couldn’t be because of Jake, could it? He felt a little lightheaded, but nothing he wasn’t used to. Somewhat, he highly doubted that the looks spared in his direction were enough to cause such a disturbance within his body.

_“Oh god, are you gonna puke?”_

Meg questioned, fearing the answer and Dwight felt panic bubble up within him. Did he look that bad?! What was going on?

_“What the hell did you give him, Claud?”_

The redhead was quick to throw the accusation in Claudette’s direction and the botanist was equally quick to babble in answer, uncertain of the cause of this turn of events.

_“N-Nothing bad! I swear! He’s had it before. He never reacted like this!”_

Before Dwight had the chance to say a single word on the matter, he was helped on his feet and pulled away from the other survivors.

_“Deep breaths, deep breaths.”_

He could hear Claudette hush by his ear as he was guided to lean on a tree far from people’s sight, but it did little to answer the confusion that the action sprouted. He didn’t feel sick, he didn’t feel like he was going to be sick, and yet as he lowered his head to look down at himself, his legs were quivering and before he was aware of it, bile rose in the back of his throat and splatted gracelessly by his feet. An unpleasant shudder coursed through him as he couched loudly, gagging around the nothingness in his stomach.

_“You shouldn’t give medicine to someone who isn’t sick.”_

Jake’s voice was low, but loud enough for the stale breeze of the Entity’s twisted woods to carry the words pointed directly at their resident doctor or what was closest to it, taking everyone by surprise.

_“S-Stop… Stop…”_

Dwight grunted through the pain that seared and churned his stomach, shaking his head as he spat the foul taste from his mouth.

_“It’s-It’s not her fault…”_

Before he could remotely finish his sentence, Jake interrupted him.

_“I know... It’s yours.”_

Dwight sighed shakily as he rose his head and peeked over his shoulder towards the woodsman. Adjusting his glasses, he cleared his throat and fought back the nausea that tickled the back of his throat and left him uneasy on his feet for doing so.

_“I-I don’t know wh—”_

Jake didn’t allow him to end his thought on this either.

_“You’re a terrible liar, Dwight. It’s the best and worst part about you. You’re honest… You can’t lie to yourself forever. It’s not natural.”_

Dwight swallowed around the knot that formed in the back of his throat, taken aback by how straightforward Jake was. Almost dry, in a way, but he knew he meant well. Of course, he couldn’t hide it from Jake for long. They were together since the very beginning of this nightmare, he would’ve been surprised if he hadn’t noticed by now, actually. Someone with such a keen eye that he can spot traps one second and disarm them the next wouldn’t miss out on the Omega’s inconsistencies.

_“My mom was… is… an Omega, but she has a fragile health. She was taking her suppressants religiously until suddenly, her body couldn’t take it anymore and they made her sick. She almost died from it.”_

Jake didn’t beat around the bush, huffing almost in disbelief at the condition he was finding their leader in. Meg remained silent, stunned by Jake’s boldness and the revelation of their leader’s status.

_“Oh…”_

She breathed out and Dwight wished he were asleep at that moment. Ashamed of who he was, hoping that he would get devoured by the ground and never return. It was a familiar feeling, something guttural that haunted him whenever someone found out about his second gender in his previous life and that now did the same here.

_“The reaction was instantaneous, that doesn’t feel right.”_

Claudette slipped in the one-sided confrontation with an opinion of her own and Dwight comprehended her questioning as he felt the same way. He had barely taken a sip from the concoction he was used to drinking by now and he reacted this badly to it. Something wasn’t right about this.

_“Dwight isn’t like us.”_

The words struck Dwight like Jake had picked up a branch and whacked him in the back of the head with it.

_“Jake!”_

The botanist exclaimed with a gasp, outraged that the woodsman would go that far to prove his point.

_“Let me finish.”_

Jake put his foot down, holding his hand up in a gesture that he meant nothing bad by his statement.

_“He’s the only one that can sleep. He’s the only… ugh…”_

The survivalist said as if it somewhat made sense to correlate the two events, but it only left the other three glancing at each other in pure incomprehension.

_“Nevermind… just… something to consider, is all.”_

He huffed once more, stuffing his hands in his pockets as he pondered on what he wanted to add to his train of thoughts. It was difficult for him to express what his suspicions were, especially when he had so little to go on. All he had was a gut feeling, and a terrible one at that.

With a deep inhale, Dwight finally straightened up, wiping his lips with the back of his hand while his gaze remained on the floor.

_“Does anybody else know?”_

Dwight inquired, his voice hoarse from the unexpected incident. The question was a loaded one and the leader acknowledged how it sounded like. A suspicion that Jake gossiped about him around the campfire. Jake wasn’t the type for small talk and would usually avoid talking to the other survivors unless a rare urge to do so struck him, but Dwight wanted to make sure.

_“No, why would I?”_

Jake blinked and shrugged his shoulders at the implication held behind Dwight’s words, scratching the back of his head momentarily before returning his hand to its warm spot in his pocket.

_“There’s no interest. Plus, you’re not really subtle about it. If the others didn’t notice by now, that’s on them.”_

Dwight’s head jerked at Jake’s honesty. He was blunt, but it was what the leader liked about him. Jake never had anything to hide, not even his opinion. Unlike him, he wasn’t shy and liked to go straight to the point, which Dwight was grateful for. It meant that he could count on him to tell him the truth.

_“Right…”_

The Omega murmured mostly to himself, immediately regretting questioning Jake’s integrity to begin with. It wasn’t Jake’s fault that Dwight acted like a coward. Again.

_“We need to figure something out and fast.”_

Meg’s voice made itself known, grabbing the other three’s attention. She who has been quiet so far, which was unlike her, made Dwight rather perplexed about what went about in her mind.

_“For some reason, our leader, who’s an Omega by the way, wow, I feel dumb now, can’t take whatever Claud’s giving him. You said he didn’t have issues with it before, right?”_

The athlete pointed her finger at Claudette who simply shook her head, keeping to herself until Meg finished her thought process.

_“Then Dwight is screwed, **literally** , if we don’t find a way to protect him. That drink is like a suppressant, right? We don’t have an idea of how time works in here, so our best bet is to make sure that those that are a potential threat for Dwight stay away from him until this blows over, yeah? Because for now, plan A is a goner, which is a huge issue.”_

Meg inhaled deeply, setting her hands onto her hips as she shifted her weight from side to side to consider what she was about to say next.

_“If Dwight goes into heat, we don’t know who’s going to jump on the occasion. I’m an Alpha, but I wouldn’t worry too much about that, you’re like my baby brother and I have no interest in you **whatsoever**. No offence.”_

She rose a hand in Dwight’s general direction who merely blushed and cleared his throat awkwardly.

_“N-None taken…”_

He smiled sheepishly at the athlete before lowering his head to pick nervously at whatever nails he still had. He really needed to stop biting them whenever his nerves struck.

_“Claud’s a Beta and you’re…?”_

Meg went on, now pointing at Jake who squinted at the spotlight that was flung in his direction.

_“An Alpha, why? I’m not an animal. I’m not gonna pounce on him.”_

The athlete clicked her tongue, seemingly unconvinced by the survivalist’s defense. She hummed in thought, pinching one of her braids between her fore and middle fingers to flick it about while she pondered.

_“What about the others? Claud?”_

Claudette startled out of her reverie, shyly rubbing her hands together now that the spotlight switched from Jake to her.

_“I-I don’t know. We don’t really talk about these kinds of things.”_

Dwight flinched, realizing that Claudette was right. They didn’t know everyone’s second gender because it was never really important until now. When one is consistently running for their lives, these sorts of things become details and it wasn’t like any of the survivors suddenly went into heat. They would’ve known already because it would’ve dragged the entire camp into chaos.

That couldn’t mean… No, he couldn’t be the **_only_** one, right? **_Right_**?


	2. Fragrance of Amaranth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some secrets slip through the cracks~

Dwight chewed whatever remained of his nails, growing restless as he found himself scanning over the members of the campfire more frequently since fear had rooted itself deep within the pit of his stomach. Meg had promised him that she and Claudette would make their own little investigation of everyone’s second gender and place it under the label of “it’s for everyone’s safety”. Jake was sent on a mission of his own, which was to collect more of the leaves Claudette had been using to aid Dwight’s… _struggles_. The survivalist had instantly refused to help them at first, believing that it was meant to be consumed despite his warnings. _I’m not helping you poison him_ , he had insisted, but upon learning that they were meant to be studied rather than ingested, Jake had reluctantly agreed to their plan. Dwight doubted it was _much_ of a plan, but it was better than what he had, which was absolutely nothing.

“… _Boo_ …”

The Omega nearly jumped out of his skin, scrambling away from the breath that had brushed past his ear. Bright laughter resonated as the carefree gambler flicked his sunglasses up and slotted them safely into his hair.

_“Now now, am I that horrible to look at?”_

The sly fox smiled broadly, inviting himself next to the leader by plopping right next to him onto the log. Arms resting on his knees, Ace leaned in, tipping his head to the side to try and capture Dwight’s frightened gaze with his.

_“Poor thing, you look like you’ve seen a gh… poor choice of words.”_

Ace was quick to readjust himself by scooting himself closer to the jittery brunet. Broad hands reached towards Dwight’s hand, gray eyes flicking upwards and at Dwight to gauge his reaction before closing in, cupping his quivering hand in his own. There was a deep inhale as Ace slowly rubbed his palms against the Omega’s smaller hand and Dwight wondered when he’ll be capable of exhaling again. With the hammering of his heart pounding wildly into his ears from the unexpected arrival, that is.

_“Your hand is cold.”_

He murmured, lowering his gaze to the small cocoon of hands, but his smile never faltered despite the concern that crept in the back of his mind.

_“You’re not… sick… are you?”_

Ace’s inquiry made a chill course within Dwight who was quick to retrieve his hand, rubbing it as if he had just hovered it too close to the fire. The silent treatment had the gambler arch his brow and prop himself back onto his hand while the other was bold enough to cup the side of Dwight’s head to turn it to face him. Stormy hues searched for the doe eyes that avoided him.

_“Hmmm, what’s this?”_

Calloused fingertips caressed the outline of Dwight’s ear, the cunning man almost purring in an inner form of victory when he finally managed to grab the leader’s attention.

“… _What? W-What is it?_ ”

Dwight breathed out as if speaking any louder would disturb the rest of the camp. With a sleight of hand, a flower fell into his grasp, its petals tickling the shell of Dwight’s ear as he brought it into view. An Amaranth flower that Ace had plucked from his own satchel of offerings that he presented by pinching what little remained of its stem. It was a bit small for Ace’s liking, but since the offering mostly contained leaves and branches, he dealt with whatever hand he was given.

Still, the tiny fresh bloom was enough to make Dwight gasp and beam brighter than Ace had ever seen him smile before. He would be a terrible liar if he said that it didn’t made his heart flutter right here and then. Luckily for him, he didn’t have to say it.

_“H-How?”_

Dwight instinctively touched his ear then took the small flower that was gifted to him. It wasn’t much, but Ace was glad that this silly trick was enough to take Dwight’s mind off of whatever it was that had him so frantic as of late.

_“Oi!”_

A powerful voice boomed, startling Dwight right out of the semblance of relief he had felt in that brief instant with the older man.

_“Wha’ d’you think yer doin’?”_

David’s accent was thick, and Ace slowly retreated from Dwight, his jaw tense as he tried to remain calm upon being disturbed in his attempt at soothing their leader’s nerves. Both of Ace’s hands were held up in a peaceful gesture as he stood, his well renown grin making an appearance upon his features.

_“Nothing! Nothing… Just a little magic trick.”_

Nimble fingers were wiggled as if to demonstrate that he was in possession of said “ _magic_ ” and that it all resided within his fingertips.

_“Yeah, righ’, yer makin’ ‘im uncomfortable, stop it.”_

Ace cocked a brow, his head jerking away from the verbal weapon that was aimed in his general direction. Dwight’s eyes widened at the animosity that radiated from David as if Ace was dressed from head to toe in red and David was two seconds away from impaling him with his horns. Clearly, he had to interfere lest Ace ended up with another reason to sport his sunglasses.

_“D-David, stop! It’s okay. I’m okay…”_

The Omega sprung to his feet, still holding dearly onto the bloom that had been gifted to him as he slipped in between the two men to delicately splay his hand upon David’s well-defined chest.

_“David… Look at me… I’m fine.”_

Dwight persisted by stabilizing his voice, ignoring the smugness painted all over the gambler’s face, openly pleased that he had stepped up for him. Ever since the incident with David, the scrapper always had an eye out for him. _My way to repay you for what you did for me and… to apologize for doubting you_ , he had said and while David had done more than enough since, this protective bubble never popped. The heaviness of his accent was what betrayed David’s emotions most of the time. It always came out whenever the man was angered, and right now, Dwight was doing his best to disarm the bomb that was about to go off in their _mostly_ peaceful camp.

The frightful brunet didn’t need Claudette or Meg’s help to determine what David was because the man could literally have his picture next to the definition of Alpha in the dictionary. He oozed of Alpha pheromones even if he was actively trying to repress them. It wasn’t oppressing in any way, but it did dominate most of the other Alphas’ scents within the camp, which was a concern that he’ll have to share with those that were in on his secret. If David was this protective now, he didn’t dare to imagine how aggressive he could get once his heat had officially begun.

Dwight didn’t dare to blink nor breathe as he waited for the tension to leave David’s body, just enough for the Alpha to peel his glare away from Ace and downwards at him. Hesitation lingered upon his traits still, but he shook his head instead with a displeased scoff. He may not be happy with this, but Dwight was certainly glad that he wasn’t about to beat Ace into a pulp. Not that he doubted he’d ever go that far… right?

_“…Fine.”_

Nostrils flared as David threw a warning glance over at the sly fox that stood behind their leader as if Dwight was the only shield he had and, really, he was. A low chuckle bubbled within Ace’s chest and David looked like he was about to snap him like a twig.

_“DAVID! **ENOUGH**!”_

Dwight rose his voice, stunning anyone within earshot of his shout, going so far as to push him away from them and rise a finger at him. David stumbled away, not so much from the strength behind the push, because there were none, but rather out of shock to see such a hardened, strict expression on Dwight.

_“Unbelievable…”_

David could hear the leader through his breath and as he was about to plead his case, Dwight whipped around, now throwing his discontentment at Ace.

_“Both of you!”_

That alone had Ace blink at Dwight in barely contained surprise, his trademarked grin plastered upon his lips as he simply watched Dwight stomp away from them. A low whistle escaped Ace as he spared David a side glance.

_“…Feisty.”_

David absentmindedly rubbed at the spot on his chest where he had been pushed, his free hand rising to smack the gambler at the back of his head.

_“Shut up, ‘s all yer bloody fault.”_

The dominant Alpha muttered under his breath, leaving Ace to rub the sting away and slip his sunglasses back on when they threatened to fall from the shock behind David’s token of annoyance.

_“Can’t believe this…”_

Dwight grumbled as he stepped further and further away from the safety of the campfire and into the surrounding woods. He needed to cool off. Why on earth David behaved this way was beyond his realm of comprehension. Ace hadn’t been any better either, acting like a brat that was glad their sibling was getting scolded and not him for something he did.

“ _Dwight!_ ”

The leader passed a hand over his face, wishing for once that he could get some alone time, but as it turned out, Jake had other things in mind. He wasn’t bad to hang around with per se, it’s just that Dwight wasn’t in the most amicable mood at that moment and he didn’t want it to reflect on the Alpha.

_“Are Meg and Claud back yet?”_

The survivalist inquired and Dwight merely shook his head in response, sighing heavily as he kicked dirt with the tip of his shoe.

_“We were… kind of hoping you’d have another of those dreams of yours, but at least they’ve been away for some time, so maybe it’s going well, after all.”_

Dwight’s eyes fluttered close, nodding along with Jake’s words as he nudged his glasses upwards to pinch at the bridge of his nose.

_“Right, anyways, found the leaves.”_

Jake returned to his usual straightforwardness, approaching the Omega to untie the cloth that contained the leaves in question. They were neatly tucked away in the same cloth that was used for their offerings in trials and Dwight dipped his head, picking one out from the bunch to snap it and breathe it in.

_“Smells the same.”_

Dwight confirmed as he dropped the leaf back onto its pile and Jake was swift in wrapping everything back up.

_“Are you going to tell me what happened or are we going to pretend you’re fine?”_

Jake mumbled as he crouched to set his findings onto his knee then tie the rope properly around the small package, securing its contents before pocketing it in his jacket. Dwight smiled faintly, wondering if Jake’s pockets were infinite. For all they knew, they could have Mary Poppins’ jacket in their presence.

_“N-No, it’s alright.”_

Dwight whispered and Jake hummed, nodding once in agreement.

_“Pretending it is, then.”_

The Omega scoffed, but it did tug the corners of his lips a bit higher than they previously were, so that was a good start.

_“Not now, Jake.”_

Lips pinched together, Jake quieted down for Dwight’s sake, lightly tugging onto the sleeve of his work shirt to encourage him to follow him. Having no reason to refuse him, Dwight followed in Jake’s footsteps, but already, he had a good idea of where they were headed. Not too far from the camp was a stream of water. The temperature would drop the further away they were from the campfire, but most survivors didn’t mind going as far as the stream. They never really dared going beyond the stream, fearing how ominous the darkness beyond it was, as if it were preying on them, waiting for someone foolish enough to take the first step.

Jake plopped down unceremoniously by the shore, tilting his head back to look up at the fidgeting brunet, lightly tugging onto his sleeve once more to get him to sit beside him. Dwight obliged, flopping onto his behind as gracelessly as Jake did, but rested his head onto the woodsman’s shoulder, a knee knocking awkwardly against his. Jake’s dark hues settled upon Dwight, offering his open hand for him to take.

_“Going to sleep?”_

He felt Dwight faintly shake his head against his shoulder, but what struck Jake the most was the cold sensation that trailed over his hand, pale fingers lacing with his and leaving Jake with a gnawing sense of apprehension.

_“Your hand is cold.”_

Jake stated simply, to which Dwight hummed in a form of acknowledgement. It sounded a little too familiar to his liking.

_“I know…”_

The Alpha breathed in deeply, a subtle frown knitting his brows together as he shifted to cover Dwight’s hand with his and bury his nose in the locks of hair that were within his reach. Lips pressed briefly to the top of Dwight’s head, making the leader press further against his side.

_“Ace flirted with me.”_

The words came by their own after a long silence and Jake tightened his hold around Dwight’s hand.

_“He has been for some time. Surprised you noticed given how long it took you with me.”_

Dwight groaned as he dropped the small flower he had still been holding onto in Jake’s lap and the woodsman kissed the top of his head again for his troubles.

_“Ace flirts with everyone…”_

The Omega exhaled as he slid his fingers underneath his glasses to rub at his eyes.

_“Ace flirts with **you** and fakes with the others.”_

Jake rectified and Dwight whined at the thought. He hated how right Jake was at times. As he was about to add to his comment, Dwight interrupted him.

_“David didn’t like it.”_

The Alpha laughed softly, nudging him with his shoulder as he switched the hand that was holding Dwight’s so he could wrap his arm around Dwight’s shoulders and guide him to lay down and use his arm as his pillow.

_“Of course, he didn’t, he’s flirting with you too.”_

Dwight stared at the starless skies that gloomed above them, blinking while his mind wandered and his lips parted, but only a noise of confusion left his mouth.

_“I know, **shocking**.”_

Jake teased which earned him a playful punch to his shoulder.

_“Stop it! How can you be so sure about that?”_

Dwight squeaked in outrage, making the Alpha stifle the laughter that threatened to spill and reveal how much he enjoyed Dwight’s predicament.

_“People watching gives you a lot of information. Sometimes you just need to shut up and listen, but most people can’t do that… I’m kind of surprised I haven’t been punched yet. I saw Jane with Zarina the other day and they were **not** holding hands.”_

The leader groaned in pure embarrassment and Jake revelled in it, smiling softly as he shifted his head closer to Dwight’s, gently bumping his temple against his.

_“Hey…”_

Jake exhaled, stirring Dwight from his pit of despair. He wasn’t usually so talkative, but when it was only the two of them, Dwight was privileged to hear Jake’s voice more than any of the other survivors. A privilege indeed. To know that Jake trusted him that much that he wasn’t keeping any information from him, whether it was about his own thoughts or actual information, was enough to lift a weight off of Dwight’s shoulders. He got along with the other survivors just fine, but whenever he was alone with Jake, like this, only them with nature surrounding them, it almost felt like he was back home. Sometimes, he liked to tell himself that they were on a camping trip to ease their suffering at least somewhat.

_“Hm?”_

The Omega’s gaze wandered upon the pitch black of the skies, halting, and scanning about whenever it landed on treetops.

_“Your heat…”_

Jake began and Dwight suddenly tensed, squeezing his eyes shut as he tightened his grasp around Jake’s hand.

_“I don’t want to talk about it.”_

_“It’s coming soon…”_

_“I know…”_

_“We need to do something...”_

_“I-I know…”_

_“Maybe we could…”_

_“Jake!”_

Dwight’s voice quivered as a lump formed in the back of his throat, tears burning his eyes as they welled despite his eyelids being closed.

_“I-I’m scared. J-Just… please…”_

A light sniffle could be heard, and Jake regretted opening his mouth about the matter, but they couldn’t ignore it forever, even if it hurt both of them to bring it up. So many ‘what ifs’ spun about in his brain and he could only imagine what it was like for Dwight.

_“We’re doing our best. We’ll figure something out, okay?”_

Tears silently rolled down Dwight’s temples, the sight alone making his heart clench unpleasantly. He hated it. How he yearned to make things easier for him. He hated being so helpless. A subtle, restrained hiccup had Jake curl the arm Dwight was laid upon to bring him closer. It didn’t take long before Dwight understood what he meant to do and flipped himself over so that he could snuggle up against his chest and rest his head onto his chest. Glasses bumped askew, Jake carefully took them away from him, folding them neatly and setting them aside for now while his hand slowly caressed his arm in soothing motions. He wasn’t the best when it came to consoling others, but what he could do was be there for the Omega and right here and then, it seemed like what Dwight needed most.

_“It didn’t bother you when you believed I thought you were a Beta.”_

That sentence was a mouthful, but it made Dwight finally look up at him, an adorable squint on his traits due to how little he could see. He wasn’t lying when he said that he was as blind as a bat without them. Jake couldn’t help but find it even more cute now that he was witnessing a side of it.

_“It’s not the same--”_

_“Is it really?”_

Dwight pursed his lips at being interrupted mid sentence, but at least, his tears came to a stop and the Omega rubbed his cheeks dry. With his jacket, mind you, but he wasn’t one to care about something so trivial. Especially when said jacket was stained with blood most of the time, whether it was his or another’s.

_“Who I am now and who you thought I was before, nothing changed except that now you know that **I** **know** that you’re an Omega. That’s it.”_

Now this was even _more_ of a mouthful than the previous statement and it did leave Dwight blinking away some confusion, but he got his point across… maybe.

_“Are you scared of me?”_

_“W-What? N-N-No, of course not-!”_

_“Do you trust me?”_

_“W-Well, yeah, but--!”_

_“Then what is it? What aren’t you telling me?”_

Dwight’s mouth opened and closed with uncertainty. He was aware that Jake wasn’t the kind to manipulate others and while it might’ve sounded manipulative in other contexts, it wasn’t in this case. Jake was upfront about his feelings and was only trying to help sort out his.

_“It’s a dream, isn’t it?”_

The leader froze, the hand splayed upon Jake’s chest curling to a fist, dragging the fabric of the woodsman’s jacket in the process.

_“You didn’t sleep in awhile. How long has it been? Five trials? You never stay up that long.”_

Dwight sat up then, eyes set upon the Alpha laid out before him that was already handing his glasses back to him. They were rapidly snatched from Jake’s grasp and slipped back in their proper place as he stumbled to stand upright. Unbelievable, he even knew when he struck a chord and did nothing to rectify himself. So, what if he was right? Dammit, why did he have to be _right_?

_“Dwight… Dwight, wait…”_

Jake sighed as he sat up, peeking over his shoulder when the Omega began to stomp away only for him to blink in surprise when he returned to him.

_“You like watching people, yeah? Watch me. Watch me walk away.”_

The Alpha’s jaw was set tightly at Dwight’s words, but did as he was told to prevent an outburst from the Omega, observing as he disappeared back into the woods and in the direction of the campfire. Fingers lightly knocked atop of his kneecap when he tucked his leg closer to him, taking a moment to bask into the silence of the Entity’s woods.

_“How long are you going to gloat?”_

Jake announced aloud now that he was certain the Omega was gone, which earned him a rustling of leaves and a distant whistle which drew closer and closer as the man that spied upon them stepped forth.

_“Who? Me? I don’t **gloat**. It’s ungentlemanly.”_

Hands in his worn-out jeans’ pockets, Ace walked up to Jake, standing beside him with a smile so bright Jake wondered if any part of his face would fall off if he didn’t keep it on at all times.

_“Uh huh.”_

Jake didn’t even grant the older man the joy of acknowledging his presence by looking at him. He already called him out. It’s more than enough for him. It didn’t prevent Ace from trying to get his attention, however, as he rocked back and forth on his feet and tipped his head back to gaze at the sky Dwight was once staring at.

_“Should I be shocked the kid is an Omega?”_

Jake huffed as he brushed his fingers through his hair. He had been in that bush that long, huh? He must have learned a thing or two from Claudette, Jake figured.

_“Makes sense to me.”_

Ace continued of his own accord, sniffling then brushing the underside of his nose before returning to his previous position.

_“…Never felt right… Him being a Beta, I mean. People just assumed, but it was all in that brew, wasn’t it?”_

So, Jake wasn’t the only one that noticed. Somehow, it relieved him a little that he wasn’t the sole survivor making sure everyone was alright. Even if that someone turned out to be Ace, of all people.

_“As far as I’m aware, he’s the only one.”_

The gambler scratched absentmindedly at the scruff of his perpetual three days old beard and Jake wondered if he was doing it on purpose. What was his goal here, exactly? He already knew all of this.

_“I’d be terrified… If I wasn’t mated with someone.”_

Jake inhaled deeply through his nostrils, irritation grinding at his patience the longer the sly fox kept talking.

_“Get to the point.”_

The survivalist finally snapped, glaring up at the man that rejoiced in toying an answer out of his fellow Alpha.

_“That’s it. He’s not mated with anyone.”_

Ace repeated himself, his smile shifting to the sly grin he was renown for, and Jake was seeing red. He really had this way to get on people’s nerves, didn’t he? In that instant, however, it dawned upon him and his anger faded. So, that was how Dwight felt. Ace wasn’t doing it on purpose. He was simply… _right_. There was nothing more to it. If Dwight wasn’t bitten, then he would end up as a slab of steak in a room full of hungry wolves. **_Horribly_**.

_“Well then… May the best man win.”_

The gambler clasped the younger Alpha’s shoulder, patting it a couple of times before pointing down at the flower sitting in his lap and slowly strolling back towards the camp. That’s right, Ace was on his side. He was actually _looking_ _out_ for Dwight and… Wait, **_what did he just say_ _?_**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ace likes to think he's smooth xD


	3. Trails of Coal

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter warning for Abusive Behavior and Graphic Violence

_“Did you draw that?”_

_A sweet voice echoed yet sounded so distant to Dwight’s ears. Footsteps fell in a soft thud as he made his way down the vestibule of what appeared to be a rather fancy home. The carpet he walked on dulled his every step as he drew closer to the source of the voice. He could hear the faint sounds of a fire crackling, dry wood snapping as the soothing flames consumed it. Curiosity had his gaze roam about the walls, taking in the décor that surrounded him. A washed-out wallpaper, the ceiling running and oozing with something he’d like to think was water, leaving brown spots and aiding in peeling off the wallpaper in some places. Maybe it was maroon at one point. A wooden desk sat by the entrance; objects scattered about on it. Papers, mostly, some ruined, others stained, the rest simply unreadable. In fact, if he picked one up, he wouldn’t be able to read it, no matter how hard he tried. He knew. Dwight tried before._

_It wasn’t the first time he came here, after all._

_“It’s beautiful. I love it.”_

_The grandfather clock struck, the melody of it lost to Dwight’s ears as it distorted more and more the longer he listened to it. Wherever his eyes landed, wherever his fingertips touched, was decrepit. Whether it was torn, split, burnt, faded or drenched in old waters, there not a single emplacement in this home that wasn’t in ruin, each room he breathed in heavy with a humidity he couldn’t shake from his bones. Darkness had taken hold of the house. It was fancy, indeed. Once, he presumed. There were pictures hanging on the walls. Portraits of people he couldn’t see the faces of. Clips of newspaper articles he couldn’t read. Paintings of nature landscapes drained of all of their colors, leaving nothing but rot and pitch-black ink behind. As far as the eye could see, this house looked unhabitable. All except one room that was spared from the desolation outside of it. As if it was captured in time, a haven from the evil that crawled just past its arch._

_“Of course, it’s beautiful. It’s you.”_

_A low pitched, raspy voice answered with a chuckle, seemingly pleased with itself when it earned him a kiss on the cheek for his effort. Dwight stepped into what he assumed was the living room and warmth soon soothed away the cold that had seeped into his very being. There was a man in the middle of the room. Tall. Imposing. Muscular. Broad shoulders. He always wore the same thing; white buttoned shirt with green trousers that were held in place by suspenders. Simple, yet elegant; the man himself proudly sporting a clean undercut._

_“I wish you sketched more often. You’re really talented.”_

_There was someone else with him, however. Someone he could never get a good look at as they were usually hidden by the man’s stature. All he could ever catch a glimpse of was the piece of paper that person was holding onto. A coal sketch that Dwight never had the opportunity to look at. Instead, he made his way to the fireplace, rubbing his hands together to warm himself up while the couple ignored his presence. Not that he ever believed they were aware that he was there to begin with…_

_“I knew I smelled Omega trash.”_

_…Usually because of what was to follow. An older man that snuffed out the joy of the room the moment his heavy, muddy boots dropped onto the carpet, bloodied as he carelessly threw the limp bodies of rabbits he had caught in his hunt onto the coffee table._

_“Dad, wait, I can explain-!”_

_Dwight winced at the powerful sound of the young man being backhanded for remotely attempting to defend his loved one._

_“I told you not to come back here. I warned you.”_

_A threat lingered and anxiety churned his stomach unpleasantly when a sharp yelp resonated. Dwight didn’t have to turn around to know that the Omega was being dragged out of their little haven by the hair, kicking and screaming, fighting back against the iron grasp the bitter man had on them._

_“DAD! STOP! … **DAD!** ”_

_Dwight’s breathing picked up when he heard the Omega being shoved down onto the floor, a drawer sliding open soon followed by the disgusting sound of brass knuckles whopping down onto the defenseless Omega that screamed for their lover’s name._

_“EVAN! …EVAN!!”_

_Tears welled up in Dwight’s eyes as he simply stared into the fireplace, startling with every hit the Omega was struck with._

_“ **SHUT THE FUCK UP, YOU WITCH! DON’T YOU DARE SAY HIS NAME!** ”_

_The chaos behind Dwight faded in the back of his mind in a desperate attempt to tune out the gurgling noises of the Omega choking on their own blood and the futile begging of the man’s son. A cold breeze wheezed through the house, its howling barely covering the dying cries of the Omega. Yet, Dwight remained by the fireplace, staring intently into the flames as he blinked through the tears that blurred his vision. A skittering noise made Dwight freeze in place, drained of any semblance of color that remained on his face. He trembled, holding his breath as dirt fell from the chimney, disturbing the flames below. Panic bubbled within Dwight, but all he could do was watch helplessly as more and more dirt dusted into the fireplace, the scratching of whatever was inside defining itself and dulling out the horrors behind his back. He knew what was in there. Like every time, it preyed on him in moments like these. Waiting. Ever patient. One by one, spider like legs slowly crept from the chimney, reaching outwards to plant themselves on the outsides of the fireplace and as the light of the fire flickered, Dwight squeezed his eyes shut, the same name reverberating within his mind over and over like a mantra._

_Evan. Evan. **Evan**._

Dwight’s world spun as it did whenever he entered the dread of the fog. One could never truly tell what was to come in this graveyard of hopes and dreams, but there were universal constants; a law that was never written but one the survivors had learnt to understand quickly if they wanted to avoid inevitable agony. There was a killer within the fog, ready to hunt them down and rip them open as if they were no better than wriggling maggots. Maggots… why did that sound familiar?

_“Who’s Evan?”_

He heard a gentle, yet rugged voice whisper as his shoulder was shaken, stirring Dwight from the drowsiness that weighed him down. Wait, what was he doing on the ground? Was he hurt? Not quite awake yet, Dwight patted himself, searching for any form of injury, but when he didn’t, he let out a silent, yet quivering sigh of relief. He took in his surroundings, realizing quickly that he had been laying in dirt for who knew how long.

_“I got you. C’mon.”_

The voice brought him back to reality, anchoring him furthermore as a calloused hand wrapped around his and yanked him up to his feet. The leader stumbled slightly, and another hand secured him in place. Tired eyes flicked upwards, his vision somewhat blurry still from the sudden change of scenery.

_“Thank you…”_

Dwight breathed out as he began to focus on the man before him. Was that…?

_“ ‘s no mither, mate.”_

The Omega blinked away the remainder of the fuss veiling his mind. Oh. That… was not the person he thought it was.

_“C’mon, we got work t’do.”_

Dwight nodded, steeling himself to shake off the eerie feeling that sunk in the pit of his stomach. David turned to ensure that Dwight was still behind him before gesturing to the Omega to follow him. They were lucky to have appeared by a generator. Even luckier was the fact that they would both be capable of repairing it.

_“D-Did you see anybody else?”_

The leader hushed over at the scrapper who shook his head from his crouching spot by the wires he was mingling with.

_“Just you for now.”_

Dwight pressed his lips thin as he forced himself to focus on the task at hand. Things were going smoothly so far, which was starting to bother the Omega more than it probably should. He had a gut feeling that everything was about to go awry and, of course, he had to be thinking exactly that, because the moment he did, he heard the distant sound of a bear trap snapping close followed by a piercing, gravelly scream.

_“That’s the lucky bastard fer ya.”_

David muttered under his breath, persisting on repairing the generator set before him despite Ace’s distress. His gaze flicked over to the leader, his features softening at the fatigue cast over Dwight’s traits. For all he cared that guy could rot there for the remainder of the trial, but unfortunately, they needed the extra hands and only the gods knew how much that weasel could help sometimes. **_Sometimes_**. Last thing he wanted was to let Ace revel in the fact that he believed him to be useful once in awhile.

The generator roared to life and in that exact moment, Ace’s cries echoed throughout the trial’s field as he was hung on a hook.

_“That came from the basement.”_

Dwight announced and David groaned inwardly at what it meant. Traps. Bear traps everywhere. The bastard was a bit too knowledgeable in the art of hunting for David’s taste and there was no way in hell he would let Dwight go on his own. Not if he could help it.

_“I’m with you.”_

On this, the duo ventured forth towards the provenance of the scream, David’s heart stopping when Dwight was bold enough to climb in through the window. If it were possible here, the scrapper could swear Dwight would be capable of giving him a heart attack with his decisions, sometimes. He was an excellent leader, but whenever he was focused on rescuing someone, he had a tunnel vision that frightened David and there was little that frightened him to begin with. It came with the personal mission of protecting him at all costs, he supposed.

_“Careful. Don’t wanna have t’drag your arse outta there.”_

David climbed in after Dwight, the fidgeting brunet not even sparing a form of acknowledgement in David’s direction as he slowly made his way down the stairs, growing more and more hesitant at the dread that gnawed at him as they descended deeper into the Entity’s lair. Pained whimpers threw caution out of the window, however, and it was in that instant of recklessness that Dwight fell into the Trapper’s trap. Quite literally. Powerful maws snapped around his calf as Dwight attempted to turn the corner of the basement’s stairs short, rusted teeth digging deep into his flesh. His cries must have alerted their tormentor because heavy footsteps already engaged for the basement, stomping above their heads.

_“Dwight!”_

Ace grunted from his hanging spot and David wasted no time whatsoever to kneel by the Omega, fumbling to squeeze his fingers between the trapped leg and the jaws that maintained him in place.

_“Shh. Shh…”_

David tried to soothe the pained sobs that escaped Dwight, wrenching his heart, and tearing it into pieces at the sight before him. Loud panting had David struggle faster, his fingers slipping awkwardly due to the blood that seeped profusely from Dwight’s leg. His despair was in vain, however, as he was roughly yanked off from the trap by the collar, discarded to the side like he was some slab of rotten meat.

_“ **DAVID!** ”_

The scrapper fought valiantly against his attacker, but it too, was to no avail as he was lifted off the ground as if he weighed nothing and hung beside Ace. Agony seared through his chest, legs flailing about aimlessly as the Alpha roared his frustrations.

_“Don’t you fuckin’ touch ‘im! Don’t you **fuckin’** dare!”_

David spat viciously as Ace began to struggle on the hook he had the privilege of getting acquainted with. The Trapper merely huffed heavily through the mouth of his mask, observing the meek, little creature he caught in his trap this time. His machete swayed by his side, dripping with the blood of the gambler, waiting for its master to strike. The killer tipped his head to the side, ignoring the startled yelp of Ace when the claws of the Entity downed upon him.

While Dwight may have his head drooped low between his shoulders, he was more than aware of the Trapper’s presence looming over him, simply staring at him like he was his only form of entertainment. He must have been pleased, because as soon as he managed to free himself from the infernal maws, his machete was raised and smacked him in the back of the head with the flat of its blade. Dwight gracelessly flopped forward, half sprawled across the stairs, half sprawled onto the dank, basement floor. His glasses flew off his nose, clattering somewhere off in the distance.

The Omega pathetically attempted to crawl away from the imposing threat, dragging his bloodied leg behind him. Noticing through the blur of his terrible vision the shadow the beast casted over him, Dwight spun himself around to face his killer, raising his arm as if it would somehow save him from the inevitable.

The Trapper rose his makeshift blade high above his head, causing Dwight to cower and scream at his impending demise. When it never came, Dwight dared to peek through the gaps of his fingers. Blood rushed to his ears, his heart hammering wildly and deafening the sounds of terror surrounding him. A thought was spared for the fourth survivor within this trial, hoping that, whoever it was, was wise enough to not come to their rescue. It was all his fault. He had been stupid enough to fall for the beast’s trap and now, everyone was paying the price for it.

The last thing he expected out of all the scenarios that spun in his head was for the Trapper to drop his machete altogether. Metallic clatter had Dwight grimace, but loud sounds were the least of his worries in his current predicament. The beast shifted to drop to one knee, huffing with the weight behind it. A thought flashed through Dwight’s mind that this kind of movement might be painful to him, but it exited his thoughts as fast as it came. Why should he care about a vile being that thrived on their suffering?

The masked figure leaned in closer to Dwight, the Omega weakly crawling himself backwards and further away from him. A low, guttural growl had Dwight cambering away from the Trapper and bumping his head against the wall. His good leg rose to plant its foot against the expanse of the beast’s chest when he only crept closer to him. So close, in fact, that Dwight turned his head away in disgust when he felt hot breath panting down his neck. A whimper escaped the Omega when his leg was merely smacked out of the way by the Trapper’s broad hand as he dove in and bumped his mask awkwardly against the side of his head. The contact stung, but he had no right to complain. Especially when he witnessed the Entity tearing his friends apart right in the corner of his eye, feasting upon their despair. Dwight would see them later back at the campfire, but it didn’t make the experience less painful to watch.

Eyes fluttered close as large hands cradled him, keeping him in place to prevent him from getting away. Though, in his state, he doubted he’d be able to get far, but he didn’t want to tempt him either. Not when his machete sat merely feet away from them. Featherlight footsteps tapped above him and Dwight silently prayed that whoever it was wouldn’t come down to see him like this. There was a sharp inhale released into a pant, the Trapper seemingly breathing him in. His hold tightened around Dwight, shifting closer to him, his sniffing picking up almost as if he were upset about something. That something turned out to be his mask, which he didn’t hesitate to discard aside so that he could bury his face roughly into his neck.

The Omega’s lip quivered as fear twisted his insides, hands shaking like leaves as they reached for the hooks that pierced through the Trapper’s shoulders and pulled on them. The blood on his hands had his grip slip on the metallic rods, which the beast above him responded to by nudging his head further to the side with his own, seemingly unbothered by his endeavor.

A subtle creak of the stairs had Dwight peek underneath the Trapper. While it was true, he could see little other than his blurry veil, what he could determine was the silhouette of someone he was more than familiar with. Claudette. A soft, startled gasp was muffled by her own hand at what she had been privy to. While the sound has been subtle, it didn’t prevent the Trapper to reach for his mask once more and strap it back on before anyone could catch a glimpse of who he was, breathing heavily as he stumbled back to his feet and picked his weapon back up. Claudette squeaked, running back up the stairs she came from, the Trapper hot on her heels until…

_“S-Stop! Stop… It’s me you want. Please, d-don’t…”_

… Dwight made himself known, taken aback that the imposing man froze in place as if he had hit a wall. Was he actually considering his demand? The beast stabbed his machete into the wooden stairs, bending over with a loud huff as he set one of his traps onto the steps to prevent the other survivor from coming back. She wasn’t an Alpha; she was of no importance to him. It would only give them more time. For what, Dwight wasn’t sure and didn’t want to allow his mind to wander too far on the matter.

_“ **W** …”_

The simple letter had Dwight perk up in interest. Was he… trying to talk?

“… ** _it_** …”

The Omega didn’t want to admit that he was intrigued by what he was trying to say and as a generator popped in the distance, he was glad to act as a distraction while Claudette had to, unfortunately, do all the work.

_“What?”_

Dwight breathed out, wide-eyed as the hunter now towered over him.

_“ **W** … **it** … **ch** …”_

The Omega could’ve sworn he felt his blood freeze over at the word. This one, simple word that renewed the fear that had momentarily dwindled away. Dwight’s breathing picked up as the Trapper’s hand reached within his work clothes to retrieve an old looking piece of paper. He carefully unfolded it as if it were the most precious thin in his possession, and perhaps it was. Torn around the edges, burnt spots in the upper corner, Dwight wondered if this might be the **_only_** thing in his possession. That one piece of paper. This very same piece of paper that the Trapper was now holding out for him to take. The leader had to squint considerably, mindful of his bloodied hands as he plucked the paper from his grasp. The dim light of the basement did little to aid his vision, but he could see the distinct splatter of dried blood on it. It… was a sketch. A sketch drawn with coal. On it was what appeared to be a portrait and the Trapper must have perceived his difficulties because his glasses were now hovering before his eyes. Slipping them back on, Dwight looked upwards at the beast before him and all the way back down to the paper in his hand. Wait…

_“T-That’s…”_

Dwight babbled, unable to finish his sentence as his mind blanked at what he was taking in.

_“… **W** … **itch** …”_

The Trapper breathed heavily through the teeth of his mask, dark eyes never wavering from the man propped up against the wall.

_“That’s me.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dwight is building himself quite the entourage, wouldn't you say~


	4. The Lion and the Wolves

The bell of the trial tolled, quivering the very earth above their heads, and causing the basement to glow in an unnerving shade of red. He was the only one left. Claudette had surely escaped by now, which was a bright decision on her part. Who knew when the killer would grow tired of staring at him and snap? An unpleasant shudder coursed through Dwight, lightheaded from the blood that now pooled by his wounded calf and soaked his pant leg. The trap must have cut off something important, he imagined, because there was no stopping it. Still, it didn’t prevent him from neatly folding the sketch that he had the privilege to see and handing it back to the creature that stood at his feet.

The Trapper carefully reached out for it, taking his drawing back from him before tucking it away in his work clothes, underneath the strap of his apron to keep it secured. Dwight smiled sadly at the sight. How could someone so ruthless and so cruel cherish something so delicate? Was there even remotely a trace of humanity left in him or was he simply holding onto his last straw, which just happened to be this one sketch of his loved one? It made Dwight uncomfortable how similar he was to the sketch. The main difference was that the drawing had no glasses, and this was possibly the main reason why the Trapper only took notice of it when he dropped his glasses earlier. With how thick his frames were, Dwight couldn’t blame him, and only the Gods knew how much the Entity had a role to play in this.

The monstrous being was unreadable, his eyes devoured by the shadows created by his mask, but Dwight could nonetheless sense the weight of his gaze upon him. Large fingers curled into rock hard fists by his side, a growl rumbling deep within his chest. Was he angry? What did he do? Was he upset? The Omega didn’t have to question himself for long as with a rough grunt, strong, muscular arms cradled him, tucking his forearm underneath his knees while the other propped his back away from the wall he had been resting upon. The bell resounded and shook the terrain of their misery as the Trapper huffed loudly to stand upright with Dwight in his arms. A sharp, pained cry escaped the survivor as white-hot throbbing in his leg reminded him too well of his injury. Was this how the rabbits felt being carried by the vile man in his dream? Swung about until they were drained of all life that once sparked within their small bodies. A faint gasp fled from his lips as the Trapper tightened his hold upon him, most likely to keep him awake. It’s not like he wasn’t used to dying by now, and by his hand, no less, but it was as if the beast had made it his mission to free him from the agony that was the Entity’s way to eat them whole then the killer failed to their task. Loud puffs of air vented through the maws of the pale mask as the Trapper picked up the pace to find the right exit. His steps were far from discreet; heavy as his boots stomped through anything and everything in their path. Branches cracked and unset traps were kicked aside as the Trapper hurried to the opened door.

Upon reaching their destination, the killer stood still, large fingers digging against Dwight’s side as he stared into the nothingness that would be the Omega’s escape. With a notable exhale, he lowered his head, knocking his mask awkwardly against Dwight’s forehead. Was this a sign of affection? The leader could only assume it was, rewarding the ‘kind’ gesture by delicately cupping the side of his head with his own, bloodied hand. It wasn’t much, but as he did, it was as if all tension within the Trapper’s body faded away, his breathing soothed into a much more normal pace. The bell echoed once more, and Dwight could’ve sworn he caught a glimpse of hurt in what little he could see of his features with that façade of his strapped on.

_“Trapper… Let me go…”_

Dwight breathed out calmly, hoping his reason would reach him but as he shook his head, obviously troubled by this simple request, the Omega felt his heart clench painfully in his chest. Empathy. Pity, perhaps.

_“Evan… Evan, please. L-Let me go.”_

The leader released the only wild card he had in his hand; to call upon the Trapper’s human side. He hadn’t told him his name, but he didn’t need to. That sketch was all the proof he required. The bell rang with urgency, but Dwight remained calm, fingers shakily tracing the mask that was mere centimeters away from him. A pained groan vibrated through the mask as the Trapper reluctantly knelt to place the Omega carefully on the cold concrete of the exit. Before the survivor could thank him, he stormed off, disappearing from his sight as if he had never existed to begin with. All Dwight could do now was gather what little energy was left within him to crawl away.

Thick fog enveloped him, clouding his surroundings until it dissipated of its own, startling Dwight into a sitting position as life gradually returned to him.

_“Oh my god, Dwight…”_

Claudette’s voice shook whatever remained of drowsiness within the Omega as their resident doctor rushed to hug him.

_“I’m so sorry. I didn’t know what to do, I…”_

Dwight blinked, patting the botanist on her back. It must have been quite the shock for her to see him in that position with a killer, no less. What exactly did she see? With a stature as imposing as the Trapper’s, not much, he concluded. He was most likely dwarfed by his sheer size alone. He didn’t have it in him to tell her, fearing how weird it would sound that a brutal killer did absolutely nothing to him, and even allowed him to escape, going so far as to escort him himself to the exit. Yes, even he wouldn’t believe himself.

_“I-It’s okay, it was my fault.”_

He wasn’t wrong. It had been his fault that both David and Ace had been sacrificed on the hook. One misstep and his friends paid the price for it. Claudette released him of her embrace, which allowed Dwight to scan the campfire for the two Alphas. Sure enough, there they were, far from the campfire and by the entrance of the woods. David with his arms crossed, seemingly displeased while Ace chatted, hands waving about while a smile split across his features. If he didn’t know any better, Dwight would say that Ace had everything under control, but the wild gestures of his hands stated otherwise. Ace only used his hands for emphasis. The man was nervous… and David was not having it. Thankfully, his arrival appeared to break off their conversation, both Alphas now looking in his direction.

_“Claud told me everything.”_

Meg stepped in then, sniffling once as she looked down upon Dwight from where she stood. There was no judgement written on her features, but there was something there that left Dwight with an uneasy feeling.

_“Said she did four gens all on her own and escaped while you were chilling in the basement with the killer. Care to explain?”_

Hushed conversations around the campfire came to a stop at the accusation lingering in her tone. Dwight’s gaze flicked about among the survivors just enough to notice that they were now all looking at him.

_“I… messed up. G-Got caught in a trap and the killer decided to watch me struggle.”_

Dwight admitted, half telling the truth of what really happened down there. Even if he could explain it, he didn’t know how he would without sounding like he was let out the easy way.

_“David tried to get me out of it, killer caught him and stayed there since we were, y-you know… all… there.”_

He cleared his throat awkwardly, eyes shifting about his surroundings to gauge their pack’s reaction. Meg let out a sigh through her nostrils, her gaze softening upon listening to him.

_“I’m not here to guilt trip you. Ace said you didn’t pay attention because you were trying to save him. It happens. We all did that at one point.”_

Meg shrugged it off, but it didn’t make Dwight feel any better. He should’ve known that it would be coming his way. It was for strategy’s sake to compile everything that went wrong to plan for the next trial and make sure it didn’t happen again.

_“What I don’t get is that Claud did all the work, left and you still came back after her.”_

Dwight grimaced as he finally stood, brushing away dirt that stuck to his clothes to give himself time to think properly about a way to get himself out of this mess.

_“I was hurt. I, uhm, got caught badly in his trap. I couldn’t walk. I think it cut through an artery o-or something…”_

Thankfully, Claudette chimed in. As she was the only witness, it made sense for her to interrupt him, but he would be lying if he said it didn’t nearly make his heart jump out of his chest, nonetheless.

_“It’s true, there was a lot of blood.”_

Meg glanced over briefly at the botanist, humming in acknowledgement before turning her attention to David and Ace who approached the campfire.

_“H-He called me a, u-uhm, a **witch** a-and watched me bleed out, so, uhm, that’s probably why it took so long. Sorry…”_

Another sigh and Meg clasped the Omega’s arm in a reassuring squeeze.

_“It’s fine, just be more careful next ti—”_

_“Yer lying.”_

David was fast to cut Meg off, which earned him a nasty glare from her and drained Dwight of all the colors in his entire body.

_“W-What…?”_

Dwight babbled, gaze nervously bouncing around their companions before facing the Alpha head on with a sorry attempt of a smile. Maybe Jake was right. Maybe he was a terrible liar after all.

_“Either yer lyin’ ‘bout the killer talking to ya or y’lied to us since the beginning.”_

Dwight’s eyes widened, subtly pinching his arm to ensure that this wasn’t another one of his dreams. When it definitely was not, he knew right there and then that he was in trouble.

_“W-What? What do y-you mean?”_

The leader tilted his head, feigning ignorance until an unexpected grunt from the other side of the campfire made itself known.

_“A **witch** ’s an old timer term for a male Omega.”_

Bill’s gruff voice made Dwight whip his head towards their eldest who plucked his cigarette from his lips to lightly tap away the ashes that stuck to its end.

_“Most folks thought it was bad fortune to have a male Omega in their households…”_

The elder waved his cigarette about as he explained, all eyes of his fellow survivors set on him and Dwight thought he was about to faint. Did he _really_ just shoot himself in the foot that stupidly?

_“…’t was believed that male Omegas were agents of evil or some nonsense like that. Y’know how folks are… Some thought it was the work of the Devil, some thought they had some connection with the dead, some thought it was plain bad luck. ‘t wasn’t rare t’have people kill their kid on the pretense that they were possessed by a demon. Dumb superstitions make folks do stupid crap. ‘s an old sayin’, though. Surprised you picked up on it.”_

Bill inhaled deeply as he placed his cigarette at the corner of his lips once more, sparing a suspicious glance at David who seemed rather unfazed by the older man’s implication.

_“My grandma used t’tell me stories when I was a brat.”_

The elder hummed, scratching his neck before dropping his arm back to his side.

_“They weren’t bad in those stories, though. They were more like… protectors. They watched over children t’make sure no bad spirits came to kidnap an’ replace ‘em while the parents weren’t lookin’. They were called witches ‘cause they knew spells t’shoo off bad auras or somethin’. ‘s not the point, though.”_

David turned the spotlight back onto Dwight, his traits growing cold as he bore his gaze deep into him.

_“Yer lyin’ somewhere. So? Which is it?”_

Dwight waited for someone to come to his rescue. Anyone. When he was greeted with nothing but silence and expectations, he knew he would be the only one to defend himself this time.

_“I… didn’t **lie**.”_

David scoffed in disbelief and Dwight felt something dangerous emanating from David. He always had a short fuse, but his heart was in the right spot. He couldn’t blame him from being incredulous. Not when Dwight acted the way he did. Not that he meant to act this way. He wasn’t a secretive person. He liked to share his feelings with honesty, even if it earned him some mockery at times. It was who he was. He had just hoped that maybe, just maybe, things would be different if he let others assume things about him. Like his second gender.

_“I-I just didn’t correct you when you thought I was a Beta, t-that’s all.”_

Dwight whispered, flinching away as if he was expecting to be hit with a wave of curses and insults, but… nothing. Nothingness and a sense of dread that hovered in the staleness of the Entity’s woods.

_“…David?”_

The Omega squeaked as dread was now replaced by anguish, overly aware of how heavy the silence of all the survivors weighed on him. He was supposed to be their leader, someone they could count on. Someone they could trust wholeheartedly.

_“Not cool.”_

He heard somewhere on his left. A whisper that wasn’t meant for his ears but that he recognized as Feng Min’s voice. Dwight searched for Jake in the small crowd. Surely, he, out of all people, would support him on this, right? Yet, as his gaze landed upon the survivalist who was merely watching the spectacle from afar, he was greeted with a simple shake of his head. What little hope he had was crushed into dust in a matter of seconds. Right. Jake did warn him about this, in his own way. _You’re a terrible liar, Dwight. It’s the best and worst part about you. You’re honest… You can’t lie to yourself forever._ The words haunted him now more than ever before.

_“Alright, that’s enough!”_

Out of all the survivors, he didn’t expect Nea to step in, holding her hands to cut through the atmosphere.

_“Was that what your little interrogation around the camp was about? You were in on this?”_

Nea threw pointed looks over at Meg and Claudette who avoided her the instant they were discovered. The athlete merely shrugged while the botanist toyed sheepishly with her hair.

_“W-Well…”_

_“Okay, let’s get this over with. Raise your hand if you’re an Alpha! I’m not joking!”_

The street artist’s hand flew high above her head and Dwight didn’t think he could regain his colors as fast as he had lost them, yet, here he was, burning up from the base of his neck all the way to the tip of his ears. Concerned survivors hesitantly rose their hands and, that was it, Dwight’s embarrassment reached a whole new level.

“ _Bill! David! Jake, in the back! Jeff! Ace! Ash! Meg! Zarina! Who else? Come on, we don’t have all day! You takin’ notes, Claud?”_

_“…Oh my **god** …”_

Dwight breathed out as he plopped unceremoniously onto the log, burying his face as deep into his hands as it was humanly possible.

_“The new guy! Felix, right?! Felix too!”_

What was this? Was he some prize to win in an auction? Nea was direct and, much like Jake, disliked beating around the bush. She wanted results and, at this point, she ripped off the Alpha versus Omega issue like a Band-Aid. Fast and efficient.

_“Count me in on that list too, by the way. Alright, who’s an Omega? Raise your hand!”_

Dwight dared to peek over his hand, raising the other shyly above his head. It was confirmed. He truly was the only one. He didn’t want to believe it. He had known it. He had been told over and over that he was the only one, but now, it rang too true to him. There was no ignoring it. Not when it was so blatantly rubbed in his face how alone he truly was.

_“So, that makes ten of us and one of him.”_

Nea stated the obvious and the sole Omega despised the odds that were against him. Meg had promised she wouldn’t touch him. Bill had recounted more than once in his stories around the campfire that he was done with that whole ‘ _bullshit’_ (his choice of words, not his). Zarina, if he could trust Jake’s intel, was with Jane. Ace flirted with anyone on two legs. David was hot headed and would most likely be the most dangerous out of the bunch. He didn’t know Felix enough to have a good idea of who he liked. He was _pretty_ sure that Jeff and Adam were an item. Maybe Nea would give him a noogie even at the worse part of his heat, but that’d be the farthest he’d see her go. And Ash is, well, he’s Ash, so he doubted he’d have to count him into the mix of potential threats. Jake, as far as he was concerned, liked him.

In conclusion, David, Ace and Jake were his worse threats. That certainly lowered the odds stacked against him, but it still wouldn’t be pretty. They were a small camp, after all. The last thing they needed were for three different Alphas to go into rut and compete for an Omega that wasn’t even sure he was an ideal prize to be won. It’s not like there was much of a choice. All the contest had to offer was… _him_. Just _him_. It wasn’t _exactly_ the most _exciting_ winning pot of the year…

_“He’s coming with me.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My, oh my, who could it be~


	5. Somewhere the Heart Belongs

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feelings are shared and doubt lingers.

Dwight puffed into his hands, rubbing them vigorously together to temporarily warm himself. It has been some time now that he had been following into David’s footsteps, bringing him further and further away from the campfire and into a part of the forest he had never ventured into. A place where the greenery of the trees gradually fell into desolation. Some pine trees stood tall still, but most of the trees in this area were… dead. From the cold or from the lack of attention from the Entity, he didn’t want to think about it, but it was in moments like these that he wished he had brought one of his hoodies with him because he was _freezing_.

_“W-W-Where are y-you t-t-taking me?”_

Dwight’s teeth chattered as he spoke, his breath huffing out before him in small clouds. The Alpha shrugged off his jacket, pausing in his steps to wait for the Omega to catch up and drape it over his shoulders. Dwight didn’t think much behind the gesture, simply hurrying to slip it on and snuggle himself in it.

_“It’s a surprise.”_

_“T-This far i-into the woods?”_

_“Trust me.”_

The leader sniffled, hesitantly taking another step. He wanted to go back. Back to what little safety he felt whenever he sat by the campfire. At least, it was warm. They were nowhere near the stream as far as his mental map of the surroundings were concerned, but they were considerably west from the campfire. Distance alone was enough, apparently, and was not limited by their only source of relatively clean water.

_“D-David, I-I want t-to go b-back.”_

Dwight stated his thoughts clearly, the Alpha taking his needs into consideration only for him to shake his head at the demand.

_“Not yet. I wanna show you somethin’. C’mon…”_

David cocked his head in the general direction they were headed, holding out his hand as support for the trembling Omega. Dwight reluctantly took the offering, noting the frown drawn upon the scrapper’s brows when he did.

_“Jesus, yer freezin’. We’re almost there. Promise.”_

Dwight had to suppress the urge to roll his eyes at the Alpha’s comment. Of course, he was freezing! Wasn’t it obvious? He was starting to regret following him _profoundly_ , his patience wearing thin. A surprise, he said. Right, because he couldn’t show his ‘surprise’ back at the campfire.

_“There it is.”_

The bitterness of Dwight’s inner grumbling died down as fast as it had sparked when his gaze trailed from David’s hand to the direction in which it was pointing at.

_“T-That’s… H-How?”_

_“Found it awhile back. Needed t’think ‘bout some stuff an’... there it was.”_

David lightly tugged onto his quivering hand and Dwight sprung into action, sticking close to the Alpha and his warmth at the marvel in front of them. A wooden cabin. Here, in the Entity’s woods? So far away from the campfire? That didn’t make sense. Then again, they didn’t explore much other than their little haven’s surroundings, but he never would’ve expected such a landmark in this stale environment. It wasn’t big, he was quick to notice, and as David pushed the front door open, its wood creaking, he understood why. There was only one room. It reminded him of an old forest ranger’s station, almost. As he was guided inside, the first thing that hit him was the welcoming warmth which originated from an iron cast furnace by the opposite wall.

_“The furnace’s always lit. Jus’ like the campfire.”_

Dwight released David’s hand to rush by the furnace, hovering his hands above it to shake off the cold that had taken home deep within him.

_“Does…?”_

David shook his head, already aware of what the Omega would be asking.

_“Nobody knows. Didn’t tell anyone ‘bout this place… ‘cept you.”_

This piqued the Omega’s interest, curious eyes sweeping around the small cabin. It was old, that much was obvious, but he didn’t feel any draft from the outside nor the cold that would’ve usually deter them from going any further.

_“David, I…”_

_“‘s not much, but ah… I had you in mind when I found this spot.”_

Dwight blinked, catching the scrapper scratching the back of his head sheepishly and… was he… _blushing_?

_“Dunno why, just… seemed like a nice spot t’rest.”_

Something bothered Dwight about this. Not in a negative way, but he did feel like David wasn’t telling him everything. Not that he expected him to after what he just pulled back at the camp. David didn’t _blush_. David was a tough guy. It wasn’t how he usually acted around him or around _any_ other survivor, in fact. So, why was he privileged to this knowledge and not the others?

_“Dwight, I’ve been doin’ some thinkin’ an’… maybe this could be a good spot for us to, uhm…”_

Dwight squinted at the scrapper, rubbing his hands above the furnace still when a faint shiver remained in his bones. It was rare for him to be so open about something so personal and Dwight didn’t want to interrupt him. If David was patient with his stutter, then he could be patient to let him get through this barrier.

_“… nest.”_

**_Oh_**. Oh, this was _not_ what Dwight had in mind. He had no idea that David actually felt this way. Sure, Jake bluntly informed him that David had been flirting with him, but he had wanted to see it for himself.

_“Even b’fore y’said you were, y’know…”_

David cleared his throat and Dwight’s shoulders relaxed. This could explain David’s recent behaviour. His overprotectiveness, for one.

_“I don’t like bein’ lied to, but ah… I understand why ya did it. ‘s some scary stuff. Can’t say I understand wha’ yer goin’ through, though.”_

Dwight nodded along with the Alpha’s words, taken aback by how… _gentle_ he was. Almost as if he were speaking to a frightened animal about to run off the moment he said something out of line. The Omega found himself smiling fondly at his struggles.

_“Wha’ I mean t’say is… ah, bloody hell, I ain’t good at this kinda crap.”_

_“I noticed…”_

The leader chuckled softly, and the scrapper threw a glare at him for it. One that didn’t hold much fire to it, but one that had him pinch his lips tightly together to prevent himself from snickering furthermore. It wasn’t meant to be mocking. Far from it. It was nice to see a side of David no one around the campfire has ever witnessed before. He found it abnormally sweet of him.

_“I **like** you, aight?”_

David finally managed to spit out what weighed on his mind, and while Dwight had been waiting for it, it still took him by surprise. He was exactly, how should he say this, used to it. Dwight had had plenty of crushes in his lifetime, but nobody ever took real interest in him before. There was Jake that liked him, which had made his heart soar when he had first heard him confess, but now, he basked in it. Ace flirting with him, David showing him this little haven far from the rest of the group, Jake offering his shoulder in his toughest times… he didn’t know how to deal with all of this. It was all so new to him. Alphas noticing him; that alone was a wild concept for him.

He already had Jake. Then… why? Why had he crossed the room? Why did he wrap his arms around David’s neck? Why was he pulling him down to kiss him? Why was he starving for his affection? Why did he rejoice at the cold hands that untucked his work shirt and roamed upon the softness of his skin? Why did it feel so right, yet left him so… **empty**?

_“Someone’s on your mind.”_

Ace grimaced at the gruff voice that disturbed him from the one-sided staring contest he had with the campfire. He was lounging back against the log, arms draping lazily onto their wooden seat with his legs laid out and crossed before him. His feet were a little too close to the fire, but it didn’t bother him as much as it probably should.

_“Someone? Not something?”_

The gambler threw his universal charming smile at Bill who was rather unmoved by his performance and, instead, offered a cigarette for his troubles.

_“I’ve been around long enough t’tell the difference.”_

Bill murmured, nudging the cigarette in the younger Alpha’s general vicinity until he caved and snatched it from his grasp.

_“Attaboy.”_

The oldest smacked the gambler on his back as he groaned to lower himself to sit onto the log. Ace lightly tapped the cigarette against his knee, letting it glide between his fingers before spinning it around and repeating the process from the other end.

_“It’s the witch, ain’t it?”_

Ace tipped his head back to spare a glance at Bill who merely cocked a brow at him as if to defy him to tell him otherwise.

_“Something’s wrong with Dwight.”_

_“Uh **huh** …”_

Bill nodded, taking his hat off to brush his fingers through white locks of hair before tapping it back on its rightful spot. Ace leaned forward, reaching out towards the campfire to light up the small present he had been gifted with then dropped right back against the log, bringing the cigarette to his lips for the first inhale. He wasn’t an avid smoker, not like Bill, at least, but he would be lying if he said he didn’t enjoy a cigarette or two to relieve stress once in awhile.

_“I can’t be the only one.”_

_“Nope.”_

Ace sighed smoke out of his nostrils in pure irritation. If Bill noticed, then why didn’t he say anything about it? Well, for one, he wasn’t the type to gossip about the other survivors. He didn’t care about suppositions and half-baked rumors. He had experience which none of them ever went through, which made him one of the best survivors when it came to giving his opinion on difficult situations.

_“He’s keeping things from us. It’s been awhile since he last had one of those dreams of his. Haven’t seen him sleep in a long time, now.”_

_“Ever thought it could be ‘cause those dreams aren’t exactly pleasant?”_

The gambler released another sigh, scratching the tip of his shoe against the back of his calf absentmindedly.

_“Guess not…”_

Ace trailed off, his mind wandering a bit further.

_“It’s just that he used to tell us everything that happened in his dreams. He’s the only one that can sleep, and it saved our asses more times than I can count.”_

_“Your very own rabbit’s foot, huh?”_

Bill teased lightly, giving the other man’s back a pat before retreating his arm back onto his lap.

_“We didn’t have an encounter that bad with a killer in forever. That last trial was terrible. We all make mistakes, sure, but this?”_

_“He was tryin’ to save your sorry ass.”_

_“I know, but Dwight **always** has a plan. Always, you know that as much as everyone here does.”_

_“Hmm… Think it’s ‘cause he’s tired?”_

Ace plucked the cigarette from his lips, swaying it about to watch the fine trail of smoke it left in its wake.

_“Nothing like that, no. I think… he’s scared of something.”_

_“Y’sure ‘bout that?”_

_“Call it Alpha gut instinct.”_

Bill flicked the bud of his cigarette into the fire, cracking and popping his knuckles by cupping a curled fist and pushing down upon it. With a huff, he stood up, clasping the younger Alpha on the shoulder as a sign of support before leaving him alone with his thoughts.

_“…David… David…”_

Dwight didn’t know how he lost track of time… and his layers. His trousers were still on, that much he was aware of, but his tie had been discarded somewhere behind David, the Alpha’s jacket was used as some semblance of padding between his back and the floor. His shirt was… oh right, where _was_ his shirt? Dwight winced at how eager the Alpha was, growling as he openly kissed down the line of his throat and over his shoulder. Calloused hands greedily knead at the softness of his stomach, leaving Dwight want nothing more than squirm away from his touch. He was exactly _keen_ about a man he barely knew intimately grope him in ways even Jake wouldn’t and they’ve been together for a long while now. He didn’t want to say years, because even he wasn’t aware of how long it had been. All he was aware of was that it has been some time. Not that he had peculiarly paid attention to it. Was it because of a lack of caring? No, no he wouldn’t say that per se. He liked Jake. It’s just that in all of their time together, they never talked about mating and Dwight couldn’t help but think that it was a sign. Granted, he adored being showered by Jake’s affection, or what little he was willing to show, at least, but there was something missing. Something he could never put his finger on. Maybe it was him. Maybe he was just… an _asshole_. That would certainly explain why he was _literally_ counting the cracks left by the separations of the wood on the ceiling rather than praise the Alpha that covered him in kisses.

_“You okay?”_

He heard the scrapper rumble by his ear, planting a kiss to the side of his head before nuzzling him tenderly with the tip of his nose.

_“Hm?”_

Dwight snapped out of his train of thoughts, doe eyes locking with the Alpha that bumped his nose affectionally against his.

_“Yer miles away, ain’t ya?”_

There was no judgement behind the question and Dwight inhaled deeply to compose himself and shove aside the guilt that wrenched his insides.

_“S-Sorry, just… got a lot on my mind.”_

The Omega spared the Alpha above him a tight smile. Fingertips trailed delicately along David’s strong jawline, a faint frown knitting the scrapper’s brows as he cupped his larger hand over his.

_“Yer hand’s cold.”_

Dwight jerked his hand out of David’s grasp, now all too familiar with these specific words that now made Dwight avoid David’s eyes questioning him.

_“I-I… feel bad about what happened. In the, uhm, trial, I mean.”_

David’s worry morphed into gentle comprehension, fingers brushing away wild, fluffy locks of chocolate, brown hair.

_“Tha’s what this is about?”_

The Alpha inquired and the Omega ensured that his eyes didn’t meet David’s for fear that he would be found out if he did. Although, the scrapper had something different in mind, hooking the side of his finger underneath his chin to tip it up and make their gazes lock once more.

_“Hey… ‘s okay. It happens. ‘m not mad. Promise.”_

Dwight nodded in acknowledgement, biting nervously onto his lower lip. Something that David swiftly kissed away with a brief peck to his lips.

_“We dun’ have t’do anythin’, aight?”_

The Alpha reassured Dwight who only felt more horrible in the process. David was much kinder than he had given him credit for. Sure, he definitely looked the part of the tough guy on the outside, but he never would’ve guessed that there was such a gentle side to him. Which only made everything _much_ **worse**.

_“You, ah, **like** me, don’t ya?”_

David inquired and Dwight could’ve sworn he heard his heart shatter at how small his voice was, dripping with insecurities that Dwight never would’ve dreamed of David having.

_“Of course, I do.”_

He whispered without a single hint of hesitation, which earned him a loving embrace. Strong arms sneaked between him and the floor, the scrapper’s face now buried deep into the crook of his neck as he held dearly onto him.

_“Y’have no idea how long I’ve been waiting fer this.”_

The Alpha breathed out, his voice muffled against Dwight’s skin as the Omega carefully wrapped his arms as best as he could around David’s broad shoulders, absentmindedly drawing symbols upon his back. Dwight released a silent exhale, eyes fluttering close as he lazily nuzzled David’s clothed shoulder and breathed him in. Alpha. Safety. That’s right, he was safe in David’s arms. Nothing could get him there. Not even the sweet nothings whispered in the back of his mind that encouraged him to go to sleep.

_“…Has anyone seen Dwight?”_

Jake disturbed the crippling silence that had installed itself around the campfire, earning him some sideways glances. Most survivors shook their head, but a wave of hand in the corner of his vision grabbed his attention.

_“I have.”_

Bill’s gravel voice invited him to step closer as to not disturb the rest of the camp. He was fishing out a fresh pack of cigarettes from his pocket and, really, Jake wondered if there was secretly a cigarette factory in the man’s pocket. They always had them, no matter how many he smoked. A never-ending pack gifted to him by the Entity, maybe, but this wasn’t the point of his emergence from the usual spot he had claimed in the trees nearby.

_“He went that way. Went west from here with David.”_

The eldest turned around in his seat, stretching his arm out and pointing in the general direction the duo went with two fingers.

_“I wouldn’t go after them, though, ‘less you wanna get your heart broken.”_

Jake halted before he could even take a single step in the direction he had been guided to. Lips pressed thinly together and wide nostrils revealed the mild irritation he bore towards the older Alpha for being a tad too observant for his liking.

_“It’s not what I’m worried about.”_

The Alpha corrected him, which rewarded him with bushy brows to rise towards the older man’s hairline in silent surprise.

_“You know?”_

_“I had my suspicions.”_

_“And… you’re alright with that?”_

Jake’s jaw tightened as he lightly kicked the tip of his boot into the dry, lifeless soil by the fire. He had never been good when it came to his own feelings, knowing very little on how to deal with them, especially when Dwight was implied.

_“I didn’t claim him. He can do what he wants.”_

He explained rather simply, even if the words that spilled past his lips left a sour aftertaste in his mouth. Bill might’ve noticed, but at this point, he didn’t care for his opinion. All he wanted was to find Dwight and bring him back safely by the fire, where he could see him. Where his heart could both yearn and rejoice all at once.

_“Something’s wrong with him. I… can’t explain it.”_

_“Let me guess… Alpha gut instinct?”_

Jake blinked in confusion and Bill merely brushed it off with a sway of his hand.

_“Bah, nevermind. Just don’t do anythin’ I wouldn’t do, kid.”_

The younger Alpha scoffed, shaking his head in mix of disbelief and incomprehension. What on earth was that supposed to mean?

_“I’m coming with.”_

Jake groaned inwardly as he slowly turned to take in Ace who scrambled up to his feet, patting away dirt from his clothes before throwing wild fingerguns and a plastered grin at him.

_“Can’t let you go on your own, champ. What would you do if you get lost, yeah? Can’t have two damsels in distress, now, can we?”_

The survivalist wanted to stuff the man’s head in the sand as badly as he wanted to rub in his face the fact that he had lived alone in the woods for literal years without any signs of civilization nearby.

_“So, you want to get lost with me, then? How **noble**.”_

Jake wasn’t dumb, he was more than aware what the gambler had in mind, but the viciousness in his tone didn’t deter Ace one bit from giving him a forceful smack upon his back in fake camaraderie. A low chuckle was heard, and Ace took the reigns, heading off first to the west. Jake threw a quick glance of annoyance at Bill, who smirked under his beard, before reluctantly following the gambler’s steps. This would be a test of his calm spirit, wouldn’t it?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bill being the voice of reason yet again...


	6. To Breathe Underwater

_“Oooh, a lil’ bit brisky, isn’t it?”_

Ace’s comment pierced through the silence that Jake wished nothing more than to perpetuate, but to no avail. This man was sincerely and truly incapable of being silent, which was surprising, when one thought about, because when the moment counted, he was as silent as a mouse. Why does that have to be an exclusivity for trials?

_“I should’ve brought that mutton jacket.”_

He continued and Jake could feel that insufferable smile seared into the back of his head. No matter how much Jake tried to pick up the pace, Ace’s freakishly long legs always caught up with him.

_“Yes, for the fifth time, you really should’ve.”_

Jake muttered under his breath, somewhat praying that the stale breeze would carry his words over to the gambler, because he was most certainly not in the mood to repeat himself.

_“Huh? Oh! He talks!”_

Jake cursed himself inwardly upon the realization that this was what Ace planned all along. To stir a reaction out of him. Fallen leaves crunched behind Jake but before the survivalist could hurry further along, an arm was draped casually onto his shoulder. Fingerguns were fired and a cocky click of tongue irritated Jake’s ears to no end. Just because he answered him didn’t make them best pals all of a sudden.

_“Speaking of which, I’ve got a bone to pick with ya.”_

There was little to no heat whatsoever behind Ace’s tone, his playfulness ever present despite having his arm shrugged off. In fact, it only doubled his motivation, which made Jake grind his teeth. He was by no means a violent man, but that damn fox struck something visceral within him that just wanted to punch his stupid grin in.

_“From what I understand, you and Dwight have been together for some time, now, right?”_

_“Watch it.”_

Jake hissed, but understood fairly well by now that it wouldn’t put a stop to Ace’s lack of filter.

_“I did, actually. Kinda sad, I won’t lie.”_

The woodsman inhaled deeply through his nostrils and exhaled shakily through his mouth as he kicked a rock out of his path. One could trust Ace to pick a warning apart and make things worse for himself without ever putting his own foot in his mouth. It was impressive, he’ll have to admit.

_“The kid’s waiting for you to make a move and you’re just…”_

_“Just what?”_

Jake halted in his steps, his tone abnormally calm as he glared at the gambler, unblinking. A silent anger that had Ace gulp but didn’t make him back down from his opinion.

_“You’re a salt statue. Cold… frozen in place… and literally salty.”_

_“Salty? **Really?** ”_

_“Let me rephrase that.”_

Ace brought a fist to his lips to clear his throat, taking the instant to raise his sunglasses and rest them into his hair.

_“You’re a bitter man, Jake Park. Something’s eating at you and you can’t let it go. Dwight noticed, so you gave up. Gave up on him. Gave up on your ability of being a good Alpha for him.”_

There was a long, quivering sigh as Jake’s fingers curled tightly upon themselves, knuckles burning white at the intensity behind his relatively calm façade.

_“I didn’t **give** **up** on him.”_

_“What you said back at camp certainly made it seem like you did.”_

A brief thought passed through Jake’s mind that the man had to be bluffing. He couldn’t be so bold and not expect being punched in the throat for it, but that look on his face, a sincerity that he had never seen before on his person; the way he took his sunglasses out of the way… he was waiting for it. Ace was aware that he was threading on dangerous territory and readied himself for it, but Jake wasn’t David, he could take it. _More or less_.

_“Is that why you’re hovering around him like a **vulture**? You’re waiting for me to slip up? Is it that entertaining for you?”_

Hurt flashed across Ace’s usually undecipherable poker face.

_“It never crossed your mind that I might just care for him?”_

An incredulous scoff escaped the survivalist, shaking his head in sheer disbelief as he resumed his march to the west. Boots shoved dead leaves aside for some form of clues, mostly traces in the mud. The man could babble all he wanted about caring and loving or whatever it was that he supposedly felt towards the sole Omega of their entire camp, but Jake would start believing it when he’ll stop flirting with anyone he meets. Sure, it was fake, Jake had said as much to Dwight before, but it still didn’t sit right to him. If he really cared for him, how about he stopped messing around first to prove it? But well, what did he know? He was just a **_salt statue_** , apparently.

_“Don’t make me laugh.”_

_“Right, because having an emotion could **kill** you. My bad.”_

Ace replied with the power of a bullet train, fast and brutal, but thrown about with such a carefree tone that the chuckle that came with it only made it feel like the train backed up and rolled over him again. Sunglasses were casually flipped back on and a broad hand came to Jake’s back for a quick, friendly pat that contrasted immensely with the insult that had been rammed into his skull to rot somewhere in his subconscious. He was already more than capable of acknowledging the fact that he wasn’t the most emotional individual, but he didn’t consider himself to be completely insensitive either. It was simply that, to the contrary of most people around the campfire, he kept to himself unless he was in the presence of the people he cared for. In occurrence, it just so happened that it was definitely not Ace.

_“His hands are cold.”_

Jake stated out of the blue, wanting nothing more than to ignore Ace’s poisonous jab at his insecurities.

_“So? He’s not marked. It doesn’t mean anything.”_

The older man sniffed beside him, his head rolling in what Jake could only assume was his way to scan the overall area while Jake examined the ground. Thankfully, Ace picked up on his not so subtle change of subject. As much as he hated to admit it, he had a point. Dwight wasn’t marked. Cold hands were an indication that an Omega was claimed by another Alpha, but if it were the case, wouldn’t he already be bitten? Dwight was peculiarly sensitive at the nape area, like most Omegas, but unlike them, he was conscious about it. He would often wear clothes that covered the back of his neck one way or another, like his work shirt or one of his many hoodies. He had a few t-shirts too, but he always appeared uncomfortable wearing them, something that didn’t slip away from Jake’s inescapable gaze.

_“Then why does he act like he is?”_

Brown eyes roamed upon the wooden ceiling that aided to shelter the couple that rested upon its counterpart. How bare was this cabin, Dwight thought as his gaze wandered upon the nothingness of the inside of the small abode. Other than the furnace that burnt away its combustible effortlessly and seemingly without end, just like David mentioned, there was nothing. Four walls. A roof. Three windows. A door. An iron cast furnace. This was all this place was and discomfort soon replaced the charm the small haven once had.

_“I lost ya again, didn’t I?”_

A heavy accent slurred beside him and Dwight breathed out an apology only to be cut off by the tender press of lips against his. A warm, calloused hand covered the smaller ones laced together atop of his chest. Concern crossed David’s features as he curled his fingers to squeeze what he could of Dwight’s hands in the distant hope to warm them up.

_“Bloody hell, how are you still frozen?”_

David commented with a hint of laughter that had Dwight cringe. The Omega tensed with discomfort as David sat up beside him, peeking over his shoulder and down at where he laid on the floor.

_“There’s someone else, isn’t there?”_

He inquired with a far more sombre tone than the previous laughter led to believe. Nonetheless, he rubbed the pad of his thumb across Dwight’s knuckles in a soothing manner when the hands underneath his began to quiver.

_“D-David, do you… do you ever get this feeling that you’re not who you think you are?”_

_“That’s **oddly** specific… an’ scary deep.”_

The scrapper smiled fondly down at the Omega by his side, noting the darkness that dug below his eyes. Every time he looked at him, he appeared exhausted, but he struggled to tell if it was because of his jittery nerves, his lack of sleep or if both impacted him in a vicious cycle.

_“Well…”_

David began as doe eyes locked with his as if he held every answer to his problems. That alone was enough to make his hardened heart clench in his chest.

_“… You’re Dwight Fairfield. An Omega. Our leader. Our friend. Someone we can all count on when we need it most…”_

_“Y-You’re kind, b-but it’s not… it’s not what I meant.”_

_“Then what, hm?”_

Dwight fidgeted beneath the gentle press of David’s hand upon his chest, licking his lips nervously as he fumbled with his words.

_“Lemme make this easier for ya. Who’s Evan?”_

The Omega paled considerably as he remembered what had transpired in the previous trial. David was the one that found him on the floor, and he had asked him the exact same question back then. The name he had apparently mentioned in his sleep. One that filled him with conflicted feelings, some, he suspected, had even been lost to him for a long time, now.

_“I-I don’t—”_

_“ **Dwight**.”_

There was something lingering in David’s voice that told him that he shouldn’t remotely attempt to lie. Not necessarily because he couldn’t (because, let’s face it, he really couldn’t), but rather because he didn’t want to. Dwight could understand the need of not wanting to be so blatantly lied to.

_“I’m not sure and that’s what scares me.”_

A half-truth it was then. It was all he had to offer him. He could tell him that Evan MacMillan was the real name of the Trapper, and then what? That’ll only give birth to more questions that he, himself, had no answers to.

_“…David?”_

Dwight breathed out shakily, wide-eyed as stress churned his stomach when silence triumphed over any sound that wheezed from him. The hand that sheltered his tightened its hold in a light squeeze. The Omega perceived a glimpse of conflicting feelings washing over David’s usually stoic features.

_“I dunno if ya think I’m dumb or if yer doin’ this t’protect us.”_

David heaved an elongated huff as he twisted his upper body to dip down and press a kiss upon his forehead.

_“Either way, y’must have your reasons, huh?”_

The leader’s lips pursed, tightly sealed into a firm press as if to prevent himself from saying any more than he had already, as if doing so would shatter the eggs even he knew he was currently walking on. With much consideration, however, if he couldn’t trust David, or any of the other survivors for that matter, then _who_ **could** he trust?

_“A-Alright, uhm…Truth be told, I had this dream a-and—”_

David blinked down at him as it dawned upon him that Dwight was willing to open up to him after all. Resting upon his forearm, he maintained his hand over Dwight’s while the other tangled in the wild locks of hair to soothe him, hanging on to his every word.

_“Yeah? Wha’ ‘bout it?”_

_“W-Well…”_

The Omega’s lips parted and the moment he did so, a loud knock on the cabin’s front door startled Dwight to sit upright and scramble to his feet when the knock persisted into an impatient bang. Somehow, he could hear the curse that escaped David over the violent pounding in his ears that turned out to be his own heartbeat. Before David could remotely get close to the door, it swung wide open, making Dwight’s already jittery nerves surge into making him jump when the handle whacked brutally into the wooden wall. There was a sly comment about them actually having their clothes on and Dwight did what he did best; chew onto his nails until the dark cloud that gloomed over their head passed. It had to pass. Just like everything else that was bad in this world, it, too, would be temporary, yet as he felt hands upon his shoulders, fingers digging so deep into his arms he was 110% sure that it would leave marks on him, he wasn’t so certain about it, this time.

_“Dwight… Dwight! What did you do to him?!”_

This was the first time that Dwight had ever seen Jake so agitated, flailing his arms about and pointing fingers at David who only sneered in the presence of the other Alpha threatening him on his own territory. Alpha. Alpha. Too many Alphas in such a small room, and all of a sudden, Dwight couldn’t **_breathe_**. The pheromones, the display of power and barely restrained scents had Dwight’s head swim. Thankfully, broad hands attempted to stabilize him when his knees wobbled under the pressure that tackled him from all sides, drowning him in the echoes of too many voices shouting near him; about him.

_“Dwight, breathe!”_

A hoarse voice reached into the deep ends he was sinking into, trying to bring his head out of the water, but as long fingers waved in front of his eyes to see if he was still with them, it was then that all came crumbling down.

_“Dwight!”_

The same voice called out to him, clinging to his clothes to lessen his fall, but no matter how strong the Alpha’s will was, everything else wasn’t nearly as strong and Dwight hit the floor. Hard. His head lulled from side to side, his glasses bumping awkwardly against the floor before a hand shifted to cup the back of his head to support him.

_“Dwight?”_

The confrontation, by some miracle, came to a halt while the Alpha in a rather fashionable shirt gazed worryingly down at him. Everything was so hazy, as if he were floating, somewhere, lost at sea, with no land in sight regardless of the buoy’s desperate effort to keep him safe and sound. A flurry of movements rushed throughout the cabin, windows flying open to ventilate the only room it possessed. The intention was counterproductive as doing so sacrificed the warmth provided by the crackling furnace. Indiscernible whispers breathed into his ears, veiling his better judgement, and deceived him into a false sense of security. Whatever fighting spirit remained within him was smothered by his lack of sleep, the assault on his senses and the temptation that now deafened him to the rest of his surroundings. Lips mouthed words, slowed down and rendered to nothingness even through being physically shaken in what he assumed was an attempt to bring him back to reality, but as his eyelids grew heavier and heavier, the Omega sank deeper into the abyss, darkness consuming him, pulling him into an embrace that he couldn’t break away from, and soon, constrained him into falling asleep.

_“ **DWIGHT**!”_


	7. Somewhere Only We Know

_The grandfather clock resonated in the depths of his skull as Dwight opened a now familiar door. The entrance hall hasn’t changed; it was as disagreeable and as dank as he remembered it previously, flittering even, in some places. One thing was different from the last dream he had; as footsteps fell softly upon the squelching carpet, Dwight peeked into the living room, its fireplace extinguished, and emptiness conquered the usually inviting room. The couple was gone, and so was the life that once resided there as well. Dirt crumbled from the darkened chimney and into the fireplace, giving furthermore the indication that the room had been abandoned. Dwight’s hand brushed across the smooth, varnished mahogany of the handrail that guided upwards to a second floor he had went to perhaps once or twice but held no real interest for him at the moment. Upstairs were the bedrooms, which he had thoroughly searched through for clues of what was happening upon his very first arrival in this dream land, but there were never any eventful visions despite the importance of the rooms in a household._

_As far as Dwight was concerned, the house in **itself** was empty. No footsteps other than his own, the only sound accompanying him being the clock and the groans of the house. Still, he remained vigilant as one could never really tell what the Entity had planned. He made himself as small as possible as he wandered aimlessly about the first floor, carefully opening doors that simply led to more of the same: nothingness. Dwight let out a silent sigh, unconsciously rubbing his arms when a faint breeze wheezed through the kitchen he eventually stumbled upon. Fingers trailed over the marble counters, rubbing them together when a thick imprint of dust stuck to him. His gaze flicked from the utensils scattered about, seemingly left in a hurry, to the pots and pans hanging freely by the oven. Clearly, the people that once inhabited this house had been quite well-off. What was the meaning behind this? Why was he led to such a wasteland?_

_It was then that a dimmed light caught his attention. It wasn’t within the house, but rather on the outside and, more precisely, in the backyard. As if upon command, a lock undid itself and the door leading to the backyard was nudged ajar, enticing him to take a step out of the house he had grown accustomed to. Hesitantly, Dwight pushed the door open and descended the small staircase that led to solid ground. Almost instantly, a rush of cold seized him, causing him to hurry the pace of his steps and further into the dropping temperatures. His sneakers smacked into the wet grass, sucking up mud that glued to the sole of his shoes the more he put distance between himself and the house. Was he meant to lose himself? A trick that pried him away from the safety of what he already knew? As the light grew brighter with each stride, relief washed over him, now aware that this entire operation wasn’t futile, after all._

_There, not too far from the path he had set for himself, was the source of light; a small, wooden cabin. On its own, it was insignificant, or rather, it would be, if he didn’t recognize it as the one David had revealed to him not so long ago. How? How was that remotely possible? Curiosity got the best of him, and so, Dwight kept low until he reached the side of the cabin, not desiring to get caught in this unknown part of the world. His breath fogged up the quadrant of the window he peeked into, but the Omega was quick to wipe it away with the inside of his arm to he could look properly inside._

_“Wise men say…”_

_His ears caught wind of a few, muffled words through the wall and Dwight’s curiosity peaked as it dawned upon him that the words were murmured in such a warm and tender tone that he almost felt uncomfortable eavesdropping._

_Almost._

_“Only fools rush… in…”_

_Dwight cautiously made his way to the front of the cabin, taking a long minute to convince himself to open the door. When he did, he was flooded; washed over by a warmth that invoked such a sudden, yet strong sentiment of melancholy that he had to take a step back to collect himself._

_“But I can't help falling in love with you…”_

_He recognized that song. He’d recognize it anywhere, but the lyrics weren’t sung, they were whispered. Evan doesn’t sing, he remembered as well, but where it came from was entirely lost to him. Dwight stepped inside, enveloping himself in the loving embrace that radiated from the small cabin. He closed the door as he entered, almost as if it were out of habit, and took it in. Hanging from the wooden beams supporting the roof were a variety of dried leaves and flowers swaying by their stems. On his left was a work bench, hunting traps neatly stored in a corner. On his right was a pile of fabric, pillows and drapes forming a strong base while clothes, primarily shirts, covered it as if it were a patchwork sewn together with exceptional care. It wasn’t chaotic. It had a purpose. It was a nest. A nest big enough for the couple to lay into if needed._

_“Shall I stay?”_

_Dwight’s heart wrenched at the sight of the nest, simply incapable of tearing his gaze from it. He slipped past the couple with a shuddering exhale, crouching by the nest as a trembling hand reached out to feel the fabric._

_“I-I know you…”_

_The Omega’s throat closed in on itself as he covered his mouth, shattered by the significance behind something seemingly so simple to most. A muffled, soft sob escaped him before he could prevent himself from doing so._

_“Would it be a sin…”_

_Dwight peeked over his shoulder and behind himself to witness the couple he had his back turned to. That was it. It all made sense. Why it all felt so… meaningless to be held by David in this lieu. It was a sacred place. Not in a religious sense, of course not. It was someone else’s haven. Not David’s. The small Omega had his back turned to Dwight, but Dwight didn’t have to see their face to know who it was. In the middle of the cabin, they stood, the Omega quivering as they had their head resting upon their Alpha’s shoulder, vulnerable; almost sickly from how pale they were. Something caught Dwight’s attention, however. The grey hoodie the Omega wore was much larger, much baggier, than anything that could fit them. It wasn’t theirs, but Dwight recognized it as his own. Back at the campfire, he had this exact same hoodie, but to the contrary of this one, it fitted him more nicely. As if it had been tailored for him, but now, it all felt so wrong. It wasn’t his hoodie. Nor this Omega’s. It was the Alpha’s hoodie… Evan’s hoodie._

_And it tore him apart._

_“Take it off…”_

_Dwight breathed out shakily as he stumbled onto his feet, crossing what little distance there was between him and the illusion set out before him. Fingers curled into the hood, yanking violently down upon it, but neither of them appeared to be disturbed by the distraught, third presence among them. The Alpha gently swayed the Omega in his arms from side to side in a semblance of slow dancing._

_“ **TAKE IT OFF!** ”_

_Something tore, but Dwight’s eyes were squeezed shut to keep the tears that welled in his eyes at bay. There was anger and despair in each pull, now both arms yanking furiously at the hoodie, grasping and fisting at every seam as if he had any form of control over the sickeningly sweet display before him._

_“TAKE IT OFF! Take…”_

_He sobbed, feeling more pathetic than ever before as his lips wobbled uncontrollably from the torrent of emotions that devastated him from the inside._

_“…If I can't help falling in love with you?”_

_Evan murmured, now resting his cheek atop of the Omega’s head, more peaceful now than Dwight had ever witnessed before. He had dared to open his eyes, and regretted doing so, as for his watery gazes shifted from the relaxed traits of the Alpha before him to the back of the Omega’s neck, which was now exposed thanks to Dwight’s misery._

_“N-No…”_

_Dwight managed to wheeze out by some miracle, so small that even he didn’t think he heard himself speak. There it was, clear as day, a bite mark. Freshly claimed, by the looks of it, with how swollen and sore it appeared to be, red around the edges._

_“No… Nononono…”_

_The Omega breathed out as morbid realization settled in and Dwight now let go of the form before him to brush over his own nape, only to find nothing but smooth skin there. No scars. No bite marks. Only raw, gnawed on nails that now clawed at his own neck as panic rose within him. Maybe if he scratched long enough, maybe if he did, just maybe, he could erase what the Entity had taken away from him. Maybe he could uncover the bite mark. Maybe. Dwight cried out as the only result from his distress was pain and blood drawn from his own hands. Not even the soft, crackling in the iron cast furnace could calm him nor the soothing voice of the Alpha’s whispered lyrics nor the comfort of home that emanated from the cabin. He didn’t want to be here. Anywhere but here._

_“Dwight! Dwight!”_

The leader inhaled loudly as if it was the first breath of fresh air he had taken in way too long. Someone was shaking him awake, but the moment he was, a hand instantly flew to slap whoever was bold enough to touch him. Something clattered across the floor and the person stumbled away with a grunt of pain. Dwight blinked rapidly, panting through the wild pounding of his heart in his ears. Blood rushed and hands rose defensively while his stance contradicted him, painting him to be cowering away from whoever was near him, much like a frightened animal on its last leg.

“ _Ugrh_ …”

Dwight blinked away the remainder of the dream that veiled his vision, swallowing thickly when he noticed that it was Ace that he just blatantly smacked the sunglasses off of.

_“You pack quite a punch when you want to, huh?”_

Ace smiled through the sting of being slapped, rubbing his cheek while his other hand reached out to offer Dwight help to get back on his feet. The Omega ignored the help altogether, unsteady on his feet as he stood on his own. A flash of hurt crossed over Ace’s features, but he was quick to recover, plucking his sunglasses from the floor and placing them back onto his nose.

_“Ah… Alright then.”_

The Alpha cleared his throat and Dwight took a minute to take in his surroundings. This… wasn’t the cabin. His confusion must be beyond obvious because Ace held up his hands before him, keeping his distance from the nervous Omega as if he was about to either run away or crumble on himself the moment he even so much as breathed in his direction.

_“We’re in a trial. Calm d—”_

_“ **Don’t** tell me to calm down.”_

Dwight cut him off with a hiss which had Ace jerk his head back in sheer surprise. It wasn’t Ace’s fault, it really wasn’t, but there was a bitterness on the back of Dwight’s throat that he simply couldn’t shake off. Not after what he had just seen. He had to admit that he was suspicious. Survivors were usually cycled through trials, going one at a time before a brand-new cycle began and so on. This time, both he and Ace had two trials in a row. This wasn’t unheard of, especially when there was a new rotation among survivors, but Dwight always kept track of these cycles… and this wasn’t it. There was purpose behind it.

_“…Are you okay?”_

Ace asked with a sincerity that had Dwight taken aback. He was legitimately concerned and while he may have been on the other end of Ace’s more serious side once or twice recently, it didn’t make it less unsettling. He wasn’t used to this; wasn’t used to Ace’s heartfelt gaze on him nor the gentleness of his touch. It was so… out of character for him. Ace was cocky. Ace fired fingerguns and fake smiles at anyone within range. Ace had a façade to keep.

Ace was…

_“No… N-No, I’m not okay.”_

Dwight admitted and even behind the mask of his sunglasses, he could sense the ache; his yearning to reach out to comfort him but restrained himself from doing so.

Ace was…

Ace was…

 _… **kind**_.

 _“I don’t know_ … _what to **feel**_.”

A generator illuminated in the distance, but it was far from enough to bring Dwight back to the reality of the trial they had been dragged into.

_“I-I’m terrified. And alone…”_

_“What? You’re not alone, you know we’re all here for you—”_

_“Y-You… Y-You wouldn’t understand.”_

Dwight absentmindedly brushed his fingertips over the base of his neck. It wasn’t bloodied anymore. It was smooth, repaired by the whispers of the Entity yet again. It had been all but a dream, but the heaviness that weighed on his heart was as real as the hooks that impaled him on a regular basis.

_“Dwight, I…”_

The leader remained silent, dread lingering in the silence that answered the Alpha’s words. Ace cautiously approached him, slipping between him and the open window Dwight had been facing to avoid the flickering hope across Ace’s features. It took Dwight awhile to put their positioning in perspective. They were in the killer shack… in a trial… Right, they needed to get going. This was a good excuse.

“ _No_.”

Dwight murmured as a warning, but the Alpha didn’t listen, broad hands cradling his face to make him look upwards.

_“Dwight, I love you—”_

_“N-No, no, you don’t.”_

The Omega felt his insides crawl as his fears were made into a reality. He shook his head within the confine of Ace’s hands, denying the older man’s confession outright, but the gambler doubled his efforts, slightly shaking him to pull him away of whatever troubled him.

_“You have to believe me. I’m not **David**. I’m not **Jake**. I’m not… I’m **nothing** , but please… you **have** to believe me.”_

_“No, Ace, no.”_

The crack in Ace’s usual confidence threatened to break what little resilience that remained within him.

_“Dwight. Dwight, please, I’m **begging** you.”_

Ace breathed out and Dwight simply didn’t have it in him to say that he wasn’t the only one. That many coveted the same, fragmented prize. A trophy far uglier than any of his suitors expected. They were blinded by his shine but didn’t realize quite yet just how much of a waste of time he was. The Omega closed his eyes…

_“Dwight! Ple— **ARGH**!”_

The leader screeched in pure terror as a massive hand surged from the darkness outside the killer shack to grab Ace by the collar and haul him through the window. Legs kicked and flailed to no avail, Dwight’s nerves doing little to help in the matter as he was now curled into a ball, kneeled on the floor, and covering his ears as bloodcurdling screams pierced through the entirety of the trial’s illusory piece of land. Dwight wasn’t the most courageous out of the survivors, but he usually knew better than to react in such a cowardly fashion. He was the one to come up with plans. He was the one that always had this one trick that saved the day, or at least one person’s life, but there he was, exhausted and at the end of his rope. Pitifully slowly, Dwight’s very being shook as he crawled on his hands and knees as far away from the window as he possibly could without him, himself, dying from a heart attack in the process.

He wished he didn’t have to hear anything, but the sounds of slaughter outside the fragile safety of the shack were all too real. Whatever reason that, by some miracle, remained anchored within him told him that this was breaking the rules established by the Entity. Everyone knew that a survivor must be hooked at least once before being killed off from the trial by their tormentor’s hands. With the proper offering, that is. But now, he just witnessed a savage murder that rejected this well-known rule altogether. A ruthless butchery that had Dwight want nothing more than to climb the walls as if he were nothing more than a trapped rat. And trapped, he was, as the killer now roamed the outside of the shack like a lion, bloodthirsty and in search of its next kill.

Rusty mechanisms were set into place; behind him, to his left, to his right, in front of him. Any possible exit was now blocked off by a trap, concealing him to the vicinity of the shack itself. The message was clear: he had to remain inside. That was what he first thought of until the beast that so brutally slaughtered his friend stepped over the trap to come up to him. Most likely to continue what he started, Dwight thought as he hid himself childishly behind his hands. If he didn’t see the killer, then it couldn’t hurt him. It was all a dream too. That was what it was. Only a dream. The presence that towered over him now dropped with a loud huff to its knee and Dwight dared to peek through the opening of his fingers. Large hands cradled Dwight’s now tear streaked face in what Dwight could only assume to be an imitation of what Ace had been doing before, but much… much bloodier. The Omega held his breath, shaking like a leaf as the Trapper rubbed his thumbs across his cheeks to wipe away his tears, but merely managed to smear more blood over Dwight’s face in the process. Short, rapid, nasal pants had the beast dip his hand within his work clothes to fish out something Dwight never thought he’d see on a killer’s person. The cloth was mostly burnt, but he’d recognize one of their offerings anywhere. Thick fingers nudged the blackened cloth aside to forcefully push into the palm of his own hand and pry a Sweet William from it. The flower itself was completely dried off, dulled of its colors, making Dwight think that the Trapper had this among his belongings for a very long time, now. Something so delicate being pinched between the thumb and forefinger of cruel giant was certainly out of the ordinary. The gesture, while the creature had his hands covered in fresh blood, was ironic on its own, but Dwight couldn’t help the light flutter his heart made at the gentleness behind it. It was such an immense contrast that it left the Omega dizzy from the whiplash.

_“Take… my h-hand…”_

Dwight attempted to sing, his voice a simple squeak as he placed his much smaller hand onto the Trapper’s bloodied, scarred one.

_“T-Take…”_

He swallowed thickly as the beast’s heavy breaths, excited from the kill, gradually lessened to a much more calmed pace.

_“… my whole… life… too”_

Dwight hesitated on the lyrics, fully acknowledging the double meaning the words could have to a creature like the Trapper.

_“For I… c-can't help falling in… l-love with you”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just how will Dwight get himself out of this mess, I wonder~


	8. He Who Casts The First Stone

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What's in a name?

The Trapper’s imposing stature hovered over the small, shivering Omega, his hand urging him to take the flower from his grasp. Dwight was fast to pick onto the beast’s desires and pluck the dried flower from him. A contented huff had Dwight look up as the killer now plopped unceremoniously onto his behind to join the Omega on the floor. Leather creaked loudly, shoulders heaving with the pants that fled through the teeth of his mask. It was almost endearing the way he sat, unable to cross his legs, merely scrutinizing Dwight beyond the darkness of his façade. He seemed to be waiting for something. Dwight figured that he wanted him to sing again, so he prepared himself to do so, but a low growl warned him that he shouldn’t or, rather, that he didn’t have to. The Omega’s lips pressed thin as he cautiously observed the massive Alpha seated before him. There was a light sniffle as Dwight tentatively crawled what little distance there was between himself and the Trapper. He sat back onto his heels, inquisitive eyes rapidly flicking from the Trapper’s hidden face to the hands that rested sluggishly in his lap. Dwight’s hands cradled one of his, pushing the flower into his palm to encourage him to grasp it before guiding the hand up and to his head. It took a long moment before the murderer understood the meaning behind such a gesture and delicately placed the dried flower into Dwight’s hair. Nostrils broadened, breathing heavily, but in a pattern that had Dwight perplexed. Almost as if the Trapper tried to keep himself silent but was unable to.

_“H-How do I look?”_

The Omega attempted nervously, taking advantage of the Alpha’s now calmed temper to attempt a conversation with him. He knew he could talk. He proved that in the previous trial. He could do it; Dwight believed he could reach out to him the same way he did before.

_“ **B…Beau** …”_

The Trapper began to grunt, Dwight nodding along to encourage him. How long has it been since he even _talked_ to someone rather than **eviscerate** them? The thought was enough to yank at Dwight’s heartstrings.

“ ** _Beau_** … **_tiful_** …”

It was naïve to think that someone who so mercilessly butchered one of his friends could be saved. The Trapper was merely a shell of the sweet man he once knew. A hardworking, talented young Alpha that was always so eager to show him new discoveries and tell him all about his plans in the future. The complete opposite of what he had become.

“ ** _C…old…_** ”

The beast muttered under his breath, Dwight’s hands retreating from his when he realized that he had been still holding onto it.

_“M-My hands are cold, huh?”_

Dwight inquired with a watery smile on his features to which the Trapper slowly nodded to.

_“It seems like everyone is saying the same thing, recently.”_

The Omega attempted to joke, a burst of bitter laughter scoffing through his nose and forcing its way awkwardly out of his own throat. Of course, the Trapper said nothing, his gut-wrenching mask staring blankly down at him as if he was the most curious little animal he had ever set his eyes upon.

_“Do you… Do you remember me?”_

Dwight breathed out shakily, his heart heaving in his chest from the torment that swayed him in every direction. Just a lonely Omega lost at sea on his rackety raft strung together by nerves that always seemed to threaten to snap at any moment.

_“At **all**?”_

He pressed on, acknowledging fairly well the dangerous path he was threading upon. Was he really in a position to question a ruthless killer? An Alpha that was at least twice his size, no less?

“ ** _W…itch…_** ”

The Trapper exhaled and Dwight could feel his lower lip wobble from the torrent of emotions that recoiled unpleasantly within him.

_“ **NO**! What’s… W-What’s my **name**?!”_

Dwight put his foot down and rose his voice to hopefully get through the thickness of the beast’s skull. The killer huffed heavily through his nose, shaking his head as he thumped his bloody fist dully against the moldy planks of the shack’s flooring. He was becoming more agitated and at this point, the Omega wouldn’t be surprised if he would murder him right here and there too.

_“WHAT’S MY NAME, EVAN?!”_

Dwight shouted, his voice squeezing out, wavering at how upset the Alpha before him was due to how loud he was; a great contrast to his meek character. A distressed sound escaped the Trapper as he struggled to stand up and Dwight was fast to react, taking hold of the broad machete before he could reach for it himself.

_“EVAN!”_

He exclaimed once more as he now held onto the only means of expression for the Trapper who now snarled lowly at him, prowling about the shack as if he were about to rip his head off for merely speaking up to him. Instead, he shook his head almost violently, loud breaths now raging from the depths of his lungs, puffing from his mask.

A deep frown formed upon Jake’s features from where he had pressed himself as flat as he could against the ruins of a brick wall facing one of the windows of the shack. He had decided to explore his surroundings in search of generators, but what, or rather who, he found, were much more interesting to him. Subtly, he peeked over his shoulder, tipping his head to the side to glance beyond the brick wall to the inside of the shack. Dark eyes widened in shock at the sight of their leader with a killer’s bloody weapon in his hands. Not only this, but this thing, this soulless brute, wasn’t attacking him to get it back. It was listening to him, going so far as to allow Dwight to shout at him. Incomprehension shifted into frustration when he realized that he truly heard what he thought he heard. A name. Dwight was calling this _thing_ by a **_name_** , not its title. An angered roar had Jake’s blood freeze over but the lack of reaction from their leader caused an unpleasant shudder to course through Jake’s very being.

_“Evan, look at me!”_

Dwight’s voice boomed from within the shack, cracking under the tension he had buried himself into and had Jake cease up. Never had he heard Dwight being so emotional before. He had his moments, the Omega being an open book when it came to how he felt, but even to him, this was intense.

“ ** _Hmph_** …”

The Trapper huffed, heavy work boots stomping in the shack.

“ ** _D…w…ight…_** ”

The name was oddly pronounced, the end of it slurred as the beast struggled with simple words. It wasn’t much, but it was enough to leave Jake utterly baffled by what he was hearing. That thing could **_talk_**?! He couldn’t tell if it was worse or better to know that it had an actual brain rather than pure, raw instincts to kill anything that moved. The survivalist heard a trembling sigh, almost as if the Omega were relieved to hear his own name.

“ ** _DWIGHT!_** ”

The Trapper roared through his wheezing pattern and Jake could hear his heart pump in his ears and his knees grow weak despite his calm exterior. How on earth was Dwight not dead where he stood? Jake’s gaze flicked about, yearning for knowledge that he couldn’t grasp from merely watching. Right, Dwight, he couldn’t just stand there and not do anything. His seeking gaze landed upon a small rock and the survivalist crouched, peeking around the corner of his wall to ensure that he wouldn’t be spotted by reaching out. When his fingertips rolled the rock closer to him, barely bigger than a pebble, he took hold of it and stood, readying himself to fling the rock at the beast’s head. Something that could distract it from Dwight. Even if he died for it, then Dwight could…

_“Don’t even think ‘bout it.”_

Just as he was in the middle of his throwing motion, a strong, firm hand smacked against his forearm, its hold powerful enough to make him grimace in discomfort and drop the rock.

_“Thought y’were smarter than tha’.”_

Jake’s brows knitted into a frown as he spared the Englishman a glare. Of course, of all people, David was the only one left to help them out.

_“What are you doing here?”_

David cocked a brow at the question, releasing the other Alpha when he yanked his arm back to rub at the ache he had imposed on him.

_“Unlike you, doin’ my damn **job** and repairin’ those bloody **gens**.”_

The scrapper huffed as the Alpha at least had the decency to appear guilty about his snooping around. With a shrug forward of his muscular shoulders, David adjusted his jacket, sparing a glance at the shack before staring down at the survivalist until he half-heartedly peeled himself away from his prime, spying spot.

_“But Dwight, he…”_

_“He’s a big boy, he knows what he’s doin’.”_

David snapped, cutting off Jake while keeping his voice low to make sure that he wouldn’t be heard by any unsolicited ears that might pry in their direction. To disturb… whatever this was… might not be a good idea. As far as he was aware, they all wanted to get out of here alive. Sure, they might have lost Ace rather _unconventionally_ , but shouldn’t that encourage Jake’s behind to get moving?

_“Y’weren’t doin’ it for Dwight, anyways.”_

He added, shutting down any further arguments Jake might have to justify his actions. Jealousy 101 wouldn’t get any of them out of this trial. The faster they were back at the campfire, the better, and David wasn’t about to let Jake’s emotions get the best of him. No matter how well concealed they were, no matter how calm he appeared, he was human and, as much as he didn’t like to admit it, he understood his frustrations. He was as lost as he was… and he was getting **_really_** tired of being blatantly lied to.

_“Evan, huh…”_

David muttered bitterly under his breath, shaking his head at what he was witnessing. Dwight always had been a terrible liar, but this took the cake. This was the guy? Evan? The Trapper, this monstrosity of a man, was the same “Evan” Dwight mentioned from his dreams?

_“Apparently…”_

Jake breathed out, almost startling David due to how much rummaging was happening in his mind, distracting him, and making him forget Jake’s presence altogether. The survivalist may be some sort of rival but, again, he was smart. Maybe if they pieced together what information they had, they could help each other out and maybe, just maybe, figure out this nonsense.

_“T-That’s right, that’s right, that’s my name.”_

Dwight lowered his tone, smiling up at the massive brute before him. Hesitantly, he held out the machete for the killer to take from his trembling hand. Did the Trapper even comprehend the sheer amount of trust he was putting into him with this simple gesture? Somewhat, the Omega felt like he did, because there was a certain lack of confidence as the beast reclaimed his weapon. Dwight merely waited, nervous eyes flicking from the bloodied blade and back to the undecipherable mask glued to the man’s face. A low growl stormed within the Trapper’s chest as he stepped closer to the smaller man, towering over him in such a way that Dwight tumbled back to the floor, easily knocked off what little pedestal he made for himself in that brief moment of, dare he say, dominance. His heart hammered wildly in his chest as his back knocked against the shack wall.

_“A-Alright, m-maybe I went overboard. I-I’m sorry, I didn’t mean…”_

Dwight babbled, a yelp escaping his lips before he could remotely reign it back in when the killer plopped to his knees, his mask screeching as it grinded against the wall when he dropped his chin onto the Omega’s shoulder. His glasses now crooked, Dwight’s arms stretched out on either side of him, petrified at this display of… what could he even call this? Affection? This was as if a grizzly bear just fell into his arms for a nap and Dwight was starting to wonder if this peculiar bear was going to tear him to shreds or not if he so much moved an inch. He released a silent, yet shaky exhale, swallowing thickly as his arms twitched to reach around the expanse of his back to pat him rather awkwardly. Could he breathe? This seemed irrelevant as a question when a gory machete was within eyesight. However, the deep hum that resonated within the Trapper’s chest told him that this was something positive. _Maybe_.

“… _Oookay_ …”

The Omega released into a breath as the machete clattered onto the floor once more when the creature wrapped his arms around his waist, pulling him flush against his crimson-stained apron. Dwight squeezed his arms between them, earning himself a warning grunt for his squirming, slithering them until they popped from the top and wrapped themselves loosely around his neck, which the Trapper appeared rather pleased about.

_“ **Ta… ke my h… and…** ”_

Dwight’s eyes widened at the words that wheezed by his ear. It wasn’t so much singing as it were words being repeated to him, but it didn’t prevent the Omega’s heart from clenching unbearably tight at the difficulty experienced in those simple, spoken lyrics.

“ ** _Ta… ke my wh… ole… life… too…_** _”_

A generator sputtered and lit up somewhere in the back of his mind, but as Dwight’s eyes fluttered close and his body visibly relaxed in the Trapper’s embrace, he could pretend that he was back in Evan’s arms, in their cabin, and the warmth radiating from the beast was nothing more than the soothing crackling of the furnace.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize for the delay! Finals took their toll on me. I hope I didn't make you guys wait too long ;3c


	9. Let Me Down Slowly

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In my heart I had hope  
> Built on dreams I'll never know  
> Answers to love left behind

The remainder of the trial was oddly uneventful. Generators popped to life left and right, but Dwight never questioned why or how it came to be. After all, only Ace died and it would seem that whoever remained were smart enough to not get near the shack. In fact, who had been with him? Well, not that it mattered. Certainly not when he had who knew how many pounds of pure anger and murder laid atop of him. What surprised him most was that the Trapper didn’t move much from this position. His upper back would rise and fall with the rhythm of his heavy panting and his arms would tighten around him once in awhile, but other than that, he was completely still and all Dwight could do was lazily trail his fingertips across the back of his bald head, encountering bumps where the mask was tied behind him. If it was any other man, any other Alpha, it would be incredibly endearing; instead, it only perturbed him. He was more than aware that some killers had soft spots for him, often giving him a free ticket out of a trial because of how innocent he looked and as much as he hated it (he was a grown man, damn it), this one took it all. It was one thing to have a soft spot for him, but this was out of the ordinary. Then again, none of this could ever be considered _ordinary_ to begin with. Not when so many memories were attached to it.

A loud, metallic screeching echoed throughout the grounds of the trial, shaking the very land to indicate, once more, the end to their little séance. Dwight released a short, yet heavy sigh as his hands slid from the beast’s head to splay out on either of his shoulders to give them a small nudge and reveal that he had to go.

_“…Evan…”_

Dwight murmured, which earned him a weirdly gentle squeeze of his arms around him, pulling him as close to his furnace of a body as he could.

_“Evan, y-you know I can’t stay here.”_

The Trapper huffed, visibly displeased as he rose a fist to push himself off and away from Dwight with the aid of the shack wall. A loud, ear-ringing snap could be heard by the entrance of the shack and what Dwight saw, or rather who, left him utterly livid. There stood David, his features hardened into an unreadable marble that didn’t help Dwight in his blanching predicament. The snap came from a bear trap that triggered by being kicked aside and the leader was terrified. It was one thing to go against a bloodthirsty killer, but it was another thing entirely to face a teammate. Someone that could actually _judge_ him and turn the entire camp against him in a matter of seconds if word of this were to be spread around.

_“D-David…”_

Dwight began, but the daggers that David’s cold eyes cast in his direction silenced him in seconds. David’s upper lip curled into a concealed snarl that had Dwight’s stomach in knots. He didn’t want to see it. The frustration… _confusion_ … **_disgust_** twisting the scrapper’s traits in such a way that he reminded him of one of their common killers. Without so much as a word, David turned his back and left for what Dwight could only assume to be the exit, where he should be ecstatic to head off to himself, but instead, filled him with an unshakable sense of dread. Somewhat, dying from the claws of the Entity didn’t feel so bad, right now. As gut-wrenching as it was (literally) to die by the Entity’s claws, it was extremely painful, but **_temporary_**. To lose the trust of his teammates was something he couldn’t magically repair with a snap of his fingers. The Trapper gathered his machete in the corner of his vision and Dwight was quick to interpose himself between him and David’s back.

_“I’m okay. I-I’m going to be alright.”_

Dwight reassured with a nod of his head and the creature lowered his weapon with a scoff. Was he really going to be fine? At this point, he didn’t know where he felt safest. Here, by Evan… by the Trapper’s side… or there, by the campfire, with dozens of eyes glaring at him. What if he was left behind on trials because of what he did? What if he wasn’t rescued from the hook and was left to die? What if… nobody talked to him anymore? Would he end up like the Trapper? Unable to speak? Unable to care for those he once loved? He was abandoned once. History often repeats itself, what told him that it wouldn’t happen again?

With a worried gaze thrown at the Trapper, the Omega half-heartedly peeled himself from the safety of the killer shack and ran after David.

_“David! D-David, wait, I-I-I can explain!”_

The Englishman merely shook his head, smacking away the hands that tried desperately to get his attention.

_“Dav--!”_

Just as Dwight finally managed to grab at the brawler’s jacket, the Alpha didn’t think twice, whipping around to land a blow square across the leader’s cheek. A powerful punch that had the Omega stumble and fall unceremoniously with an ungraceful splat into the mud of the MacMillan Estate. His glasses clattered somewhere out of his reach. Heavy footsteps fell, squelching from the suction of work boots in the soil.

_“Don’t **y’fuckin’** touch me.”_

David growled, regret already flashing across his features at the hurt that reflected in Dwight’s eyes. Even though the Omega was groaning from the blow, rubbing at his face as if it could somehow ease the pain there, it was the tears in Dwight’s eyes that had David’s anger stomped into the ground. Sure, he always talked with his fists, but never would’ve thought in a million years that he would ever raise one at Dwight, of all people. Was he going to apologize for it? Certainly not, not when it pained him so much to do so.

_“Okay, that’s enough, get up.”_

David grumbled instead, his gaze flicking back and forth between the Omega on the floor and the Trapper staring blankly at him.

_“What? Yer goin’ t’unleash your mutt at me? I said get up!”_

The scrapper persisted, urgency quivering in his voice as the land of the trial shook, reminding them that they were pressed for time. David stepped forth to take a hold of Dwight’s wrist, tugging at him to urge him on, but as the Trapper set his foot next to Dwight, standing tall by the Omega that was too shaken to move from his place in the mud, David released him, raising his hands on either side of his head as a sign that he meant no harm. Even if the harm was already done.

_“You’re gonna die if ya stay here.”_

David stated simply, turning his heels and making his way back to the exit where he waited, heart heavy, and subtly looked over to see if Dwight was following him. When the leader was nowhere in sight, David had no choice but to leave, allowing himself to be swallowed into the fog with the distant cries of agony resonating in his mind. Dwight didn’t make it. He didn’t leave. He didn’t **_make_** it. He didn’t **_move_**.

_“David! You’re back!”_

Claudette exclaimed happily; relief evident on her gentle traits as she welcomed the survivor back to the camp. Jake was already there, staring at him with a knowing look. Of course, he had seen everything. Why wouldn’t he? The man had eyes all around his head. While other survivors at the campfire smiled at him, David’s gaze was locked solely on Jake. Even as the survivalist pushed Claudette aside, even as a fist connected with his face, David didn’t say anything.

_“YOU **KILLED** HIM!”_

So Jake **_was_** capable of expressing his anger, after all. There was a general exclamation among the survivors within camp, Alphas reacting fast to take a hold of Jake, pulling him away from David, kicking and screaming.

_“YOU SON OF A **BITCH** , YOU FUCKING **KILLED** HIM!”_

The scrapper released a trembling sigh as he rubbed at his jaw. This pain was familiar to him, at least.

_“DON’T THROW A ROCK, MY **ASS**!”_

Murmurs were quick to rise around the campfire, but it was Bill who put an end to the hostilities, grunting as the elder pushed himself on his feet.

_“A’right, that’s enough. Deep breaths.”_

Bill rose a hand, wafting it about in the air to calm down the thrashing, young alpha. Jake inhaled shakily, shrugging away the hands holding him in place. A long silence froze the entirety of the camp in time, not a single person daring to make so much as a peep.

_“…I didn’t mean to.”_

David finally breathed out, which resulted in the elder’s eyes to widen among many other survivors who did the same.

_“What the hell happened, kid?”_

_“Dwight, he…”_

The scrapper began only for a collective gasp to cut him short. Turning around, there he stood, their leader, looking as pale as a ghost, rubbing at his face as if the blow still hurt him.

_“Oh my god, Dwight!”_

Claudette rushed by the Omega’s side, ever caring as she checked him over like she did with everyone who returned from a trial. Even if the Entity healed their wounds, she was meticulous to ensure that it was always the case. Bless her. Jake spared a glare at David as he brushed past him to look the Omega over himself. It was Jake who carefully peeled Dwight’s hand away from his cheek and there it was, clear as day, a bruise forming where he had been punched.

_“Wait, what? He’s hurt. O-Oh my god, he’s hurt.”_

Claudette whispered in fright at the meaning behind this simple revelation. A survivor hurting another survivor was not healed by the Entity. If what Jake proclaimed, and David was the cause behind Dwight’s demise within the trial, were true, Dwight could’ve never returned to them. A delicate hand covered her mouth in shock and David had the decency to avoid everyone’s gazes drilling holes in the back of his head.

_“I was angry. I wasn’t seeing straight… I didn’t mean…”_

David muttered and upset doe eyes landed upon him. If there was betrayal there, David didn’t want to see it. Then again, it felt like neither of them could point fingers here.

_“I-It’s alright.”_

Dwight offered the brawler a watery smile that had David’s stomach drop.

_“I deserved that.”_

Those words. How many times had David heard those words before? In that very moment, he could see his mother, standing there, making empty excuses for his father’s nasty, abusive behavior. He had promised himself he would never raise his hand on someone he cared for, how could he break that so easily? Those exact same words that left his mouth were the same piss poor apologies his father would babble out whenever he knew he went too far.

_“Damn it, Fairfield.”_

David’s gaze avoided his, blinking away tears that burnt the back of his eyes. David King didn’t cry, and he certainly wouldn’t start now because he _messed_ _up_.

_“I-I…I wasn’t honest with you. With any of you.”_

Dwight inhaled deeply, gathering the eyes of the whole camp on him.

_“You lied to me. Evan, the guy from yer dreams, he’s…”_

David’s voice tightened with emotion and Dwight merely nodded in comprehension.

_“Evan? Who’s Evan? We getting a newbie and you didn’t tell us?”_

Nea slithered in, curiosity getting the best of her and already, some of the survivors began to move about camp as if to prepare for their newest arrival but Dwight held up his hand to put everything to a stop.

_“N-No, no, we’re not.”_

_“Then what is it? Spit it out already!”_

Dwight tensed when he was shoved under the spotlight, but he understood their group’s impatience. He would be as well.

_“Evan MacMillan is the name of the Trapper.”_

The silence that greeted him was to be expected, but it didn’t make him any less nervous about what he was going to say next.

_“He, uhm, appeared to me. I-In my dreams. I-I think the Entity wanted me to remember something.”_

Dwight cleared his throat awkwardly, combing his fingers repeatedly along the side of his striped tie to help soothe his rackety nerves.

_“A-And I did. I remembered something I’m kind of scared of, I won’t lie.”_

_“You were mates.”_

The Omega’s head almost snapped from how fast it spun to meet Jake’s eyes on him.

_“That’s why your hands are cold.”_

Dwight swallowed thickly, but slowly nodded in affirmation to the survivalist’s speculations. Well, were they really speculations if they were true?

_“An Omega that loses their mate become cold to the touch. When you both came here, that bond was erased, so your body reacted as if he died… because he did, in a way.”_

The Omega’s lips pressed firmly together, and Jake released a nasal sigh before rubbing the back of his neck.

_“H-He wasn’t always like this.”_

Dwight felt the urge to explain, his hands patting over his body until his fingers found his old wallet. It may be empty because he was _broke_ even before coming to the Entity’s realm, but fingers stuffed themselves nonetheless within the pockets, searching for his proof. When he finally found it, he fished out a small picture. A rather tiny square that appeared to once have been a part of a classic photo booth picture strip but cut off from the rest so that it would fit within the wallet without bending.

_“H-Here, that’s him. This is what he looks… u-uhm… used to look like.”_

The Omega passed the picture to Bill first, bushy eyebrows shooting upwards at the sight of a well-groomed young man kissing the temple of what appeared to be a younger Dwight. Not that much younger, perhaps a year or two, but enough for it to be noticeable.

_“His father never liked me. We tried to keep it secret, but he found out a-and he…”_

The picture was passed around the campfire, Dwight’s eyes keeping track of where it was at to make sure that he wouldn’t lose the only physical proof he had that the Trapper was once, well, _human_.

_“U-Uhm, I’ll spare you the details. They’re not that interesting.”_

Dwight picked at his nails, glossing over the fact that he was almost beaten to death by the hand of Evan’s cruel father for simply existing as a male Omega.

_“He wouldn’t hurt a fly. He was kind, compassionate… he cared deeply for those that worked alongside him. H-He always had a smile on his face, even when things weren’t looking so good. He wasn’t exceptional, but he loved with his entire being a-and…”_

_“Then what the hell happened?”_

Bill cut off the Omega’s praises and Dwight could certainly understand the doubt behind it. It wasn’t as if any of the survivors, other than himself, knew Evan the way he did. Dwight didn’t have answers, however, shrugging at the inquiry.

_“I-I don’t know. I’m thinking that the Entity has a role in it, but I’m as lost as you guys are here.”_

The picture finally circulated into David’s hands, his jaw tightening in slight annoyance as he took it all in. That explained why Dwight had been so distant back at the cabin, but to see it with his own eyes and hear it with his own ears couldn’t really mend the tears forming along the hard shell of his heart.

_“He’s good lookin’.”_

David commented plainly as he passed the picture to Jake who snatched it sharply from his grasp. David knew right here and then that their little conversation surely wasn’t over. Jake wouldn’t let him off the hook that easily and, honestly, he didn’t blame him. Dwight always had been too forgiving for his own good.

_“You want to bring him back.”_

Jake concluded, which certainly grabbed the attention of Ace who didn’t appear too thrilled about the idea. Especially not after being mutilated so brutally by the man.

_“I-I know it’s nuts. I know how stupid it sounds. I-I know…!”_

Dwight’s arms flailed about as frustration bubbled up within him. How could he convince survivors that died over and over by the Trapper’s blade that he was worth saving?

_“You may be a witch, but you ain’t an actual **witch** , y’know that too, yeah?”_

Bill stepped in once more, trying to bring the Omega back to Earth.

_“You’re gonna need a miracle for that one, kid.”_

Dwight slowly breathed through his nose, nodding along with the elder’s reasoning. It was crazy to think he could actually _connect_ with a bloodthirsty killer, but at this point, what did he have to lose?

_“I’m in.”_

Out of all people, he didn’t expect Meg to speak up and agree with his miserable attempt at a plan, but it did bring a sliver of hope back on Dwight’s tired features.

_“I… want to help too.”_

Jake’s voice made itself known next and the Omega’s smile faltered at how heavy with meaning his words were.

_“You’re, above all, my friend.”_

He continued, Dwight crossing what distance there was between the two of them to pull him into a hug.

_“Thank you.”_

Dwight breathed out as Jake hesitantly wrapped his arms around the Omega, pressing a kiss to the crown of his head, acknowledging that this may surely be the last time he might be able to. It didn’t matter that it was in front of the others, not now, at least.

_“I’m, uhm…”_

The Omega peeled himself from the security of Jake’s arms to look over at David who seemed conflicted about what he was about to say.

_“I’m comin’ with too. Anythin’ I can do t’help, ya name it.”_

Dwight nodded once in acceptance, smiling warmly at the Alpha who was now tainted a light shade of pink out of embarrassment.

_“Alright, alright, that’s nice and all that…”_

Ace spoke next, standing from his spot by the campfire to finally let his opinion on the question known. Both Jake and David looked aggravated by the disturbance of another Alpha butting his head in their affair.

_“You guys don’t have a plan! The guy’s going to kill each and every single one of you. Specially you!”_

The gambler pointed at the Omega who flinched at how direct he was but decided to ignore him. Ace may have proven himself capable of genuine kindness, but he was, above all, a sly fox hoping that everything would end up in his favor. Bad habits are difficult to brush off, and this situation was not in Ace’s favor. Why would he want to help?

_“Actually… I have an idea.”_

Dwight smiled politely in response, fingers hesitantly searching in his hair to pluck out one small, dried out flower that had been placed there earlier.

_“Claud, I think I’ll need you for this one.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Merry Crismin~

**Author's Note:**

> This fanfic has been inspired by the song "In My Dreams" by the Scanners, which can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vni_ZKJAowg&ab_channel=eleonorag14  
> While this first chapter has not went too deep into the concept, consider this my little treat to give you guys an idea of what is to come ;)


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